Willie Nelson is throwing a major Nashville party and he’s inviting a string of top artists to join him. Willie: Life & Songs Of An American Outlaw, A Willie Nelson All-Star Celebration, will be held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2019.

Nelson will be joined by guests including Alison Krauss, The Avett Brothers, George Strait, Jack Johnson, John Mellencamp, Kris Kristofferson, Lee Ann Womack, Lyle Lovett, Norah Jones and The Little Willies, Sheryl Crow, Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, and Vince Gill. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks, along with surprise guests and unforgettable collaborations to be revealed at the show.

The event will also be filmed and recorded for a broadcast special set to air on A&E Network in 2019.

Tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 12, 2018 at 10 a.m. CT at livenation.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, and the Bridgestone Arena box office. VIP packages including great seats and exclusive merchandise will be available. Citi card members will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Thursday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. CT until Sunday, Nov. 11 at 10 p.m. CT through Citi’s Private Pass program.

“Willie and his songs mean everything to music artists and fans alike. Like Willie, they have inspired us to remain true to ourselves in every possible way. This incredible lineup of artists on this show is a testament to that,” says Blackbird Presents CEO Keith Wortman.

Rachel Wammack. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

At a time when artists increasingly turn to homemade YouTube videos to get their music heard, new RCA Nashville artist Rachel Wammack’s discovery feels decidedly old-school.

A native of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Wammack began collaborating with the late FAME Studios producer-writer Rick Hall while she was still in her teens. As a high school senior, Wammack was performing a mix of cover songs and originals at a restaurant in her hometown, where Sony Music Nashville’s Jim Catino happened to catch a performance.

He gave her his card, offering mentorship and guidance as she enrolled in the University of North Alabama to study professional writing.

“My professors knew I was writing songs so they would tailor assignments, like one assignment I had to go through every Bob Dylan song,” she told MusicRow during a recent visit.

She also began honing her performance skills. She reached out to Catino asking him to come see her show but instead he invited her to come perform for Sony’s A&R staff. Following their advice, Wammack made the move, while pursuing a master’s degree and working as a bartender in Nashville.

Wammack officially became an RCA Nashville artist earlier this year, signing with Sony Music Nashville during a CRS event at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Pictured (L-R): Rachel Wammack, MusicRow Owner/Publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Similar to her female contemporaries like Carly Pearce (“Every Little Thing”) and Cam (“Burning House”) before her, Wammack eschewed an uptempo track as her breakthrough radio offering; “Damage” is a slow burn that focuses both on nuance of delivery and a complex storyline. Her capable, strong soprano gravitates toward intimate warmth rather than overwrought vocal gymnastics.

Wammack’s bartending experiences, celebrating with customers over a promotion, or helping salve those intent on drinking away heartache, informed her debut single, “Damage,” penned with Tom Douglas and David Hodges.

I’ve seen it from all sides/winning and losing/and love can do some damage, she sings in the song’s chorus.

“I wrote it very literally, just what I went through. I was a horrible bartender. I wasn’t good with making drinks, but I was good with people,” she recalls. “I loved sharing stories.”

Poised behind a keyboard, Wammack offered stripped down renditions of several songs from her upcoming album for the MusicRow Magazine staff. Many tracks transparently chronicle the caustic lessons learned from former flames, as she sublimates the heartache and confusion that followed an unceremonious breakup into deftly crafted songs such as “Closure.”

She rediscovers the uniqueness and validity of her own voice on anthemic tracks like “Hard To Believe” and the blunt “My Boyfriend Doesn’t Speak For Me Anymore,” which she devotes to the girl just singing in the shower/who shut up and forgot about her power.

Wammack is still recording and writing for her upcoming Sony album and says it will offer a mix of ballads and uptempos. Meanwhile, she will join Brett Young and Tyler Rich as part of CMT On Tour: Here Tonight, beginning Nov. 16 in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Pictured (L-R): Eric T. Parker, Haley Crow, Robert K. Oermann, Rachel Wammack, Sherod Robertson, Jessica Nicholson, Alex Kobrick

Pictured (L-R): Seth Ennis, Phil Barton, Jon Randall, Liz Rose, Cassadee Pope and LITV CEO Bobbii Jacobs at LE Estates Nov. 4th during the 10th Anniversary Live In The Vineyard. Photo: Will Bucquoy

Live In The Vineyard celebrated its 10th anniversary Nov. 1-4 with performances across Napa Valley by artists including Jason Mraz, Jewel, Matt Nathanson, Mat Kearney, Michael Franti, Cassadee Pope, Rita Wilson, LOCASH, Tegan Marie and many more. The event wrapped Nov. 4 amidst the lush scenery of boutique wineries in Napa, and this year’s event paid special tribute to singer-songwriters with over forty artists performing at over 30 estates and vineyards, bringing in over 500 people from across the country to Napa to be a part of the special weekend.

LITV gave attendees exclusive access to artists, top tier wine makers, world-renowned chefs offering exquisite food tastings and pourings by some of the most revered vintners at wineries including Chappellete Winery, Eleven Eleven, Italics Winegrowers, JaM Cellars, LE Estates, Robert Mondavi Winery, Shadybrook, Stag’s Leap, Trefethen, Vista Collina, and more.

During the day, wineries across wine country hosted pop-up concerts in an up-close and personal, intimate setting. Then on Friday and Saturday night, concert events took place at Lincoln Theater in Yountville with performances on Friday night that included Mraz, Nathanson, Wilson, Blaine Mitchell and Whitney Woerz and Saturday night with acoustic performances by Maggie Rose, Haley Reinhart, Dean Lewis, Emily Bear, Patrick Droney and Andreas Moss.

Pictured (L-R): Chris Lucas (LOCASH), Clare Dunn, LITV CEO Bobbii Jacobs, and Preston Brust (LOCASH) at Brasswood Napa Valley during the 10th Anniversary Live In The Vineyard. Photo: Will Bucquoy