Jeannie Seely

On Saturday, Sept. 16, Jeannie Seely will celebrate 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

She becomes only the sixth woman in country music history to be an Opry member for five decades, joining Minnie Pearl, Jean Shepard, Wilma Lee Cooper, Loretta Lynn and Connie Smith with that distinction. Seely was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 16, 1967, exactly 50 years ago this Saturday, and is known for songs including her Grammy-winning single “Don’t Touch Me.”

The distinctive-voiced lady referred to as “Miss Country Soul” became the first – and to date, the only – Pennsylvania native to become an Opry member.

Jeannie Seely is among a select group of country artists who have scored No. 1 hits as a solo artist, as a duet partner and as a songwriter.

Her songs have been recorded by country legends Merle Haggard, Dottie West, Ernest Tubb, and Ray Price, among others. Seely’s most recent album, Written In Song, released in January.

On Sept. 16, Seely will perform on the Grand Ole Opry, and then host Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Country music chart-topper Granger Smith announced his new album When The Good Guys Win, set to be released on Friday, Oct. 27. When The Good Guys Win is his sophomore national release on BBR Music Group’s Wheelhouse Records and follows last year’s acclaimed, Remington, which included the No. 5 “If The Boot Fits” and the No. 1 “Backroad Song” which has been certified gold by the RIAA.

When The Good Guys Win was written and edited on the road. “With most of 2016 and 2017 spent on tour, there wasn’t much time for working on an album,” says Smith. “In fact, we only spent three days in a real studio for an entire year’s worth of work. Instead, I set up a mobile studio in the back of my bus for all the writing, editing and even recording. I sang all of the lead vocals at home in Texas, and did a lot of file sharing back and forth with my co-producers. With the album evolving this way on the road, country fairs, parking lots, green rooms and hotel lobbies, it truly reflects the source of the inspiration: the fans. Without knowing it, my fans were involved in every step of this project and I believe they will hear that through the music. Looking back, I don’t think there could have been a better way to do it.”

The 14-track album is produced by Frank Rogers, Derek Wells and Granger Smith. Pre-order starts Oct. 6.

When The Good Guys Win Track Listing
1. Gimme Something – Jared Mullins, Jordan Schmidt, Justin Wilson
2. You’re In It – Frank Rogers, Justin Adams, Mark Nesler
3. Raise Up Your Glass – Frank Rogers, Matt Alderman, Ty Graham
4. Happens Like That – Granger Smith, Justin Wilson, Jordan Schmidt, Andy Albert, Tyler Hubbard
5. Still Holds Up – Granger Smith, Justin Wilson, Jordan Schmidt, Andy Albert
6. When The Good Guys Win – Deric Ruttan, Jonathan Singleton, Ben Hayslip
7. Everybody Lives – Tommy Cecil, Seth Ennis, Jay Brunswick, Jaida Dreyer
8. Stutter – Granger Smith, Justin Wilson, Jordan Schmidt, Andy Albert
9. Never Too Old – Granger Smith, Justin Wilson, Jordan Schmidt, Andy Albert
10. Love Ain’t Blind – Granger Smith, Justin Wilson, Jamie Paulin
11. 4 Wheel Drive – Granger Smith, Frank Rogers, Mike Fiorentino
12. Reppin’ My Roots – Granger Smith, Jordan Schmidt, Josh Mirenda, Jaron Boyer
13. Don’t Tread On Me (ft. Earl Dibbles Jr) – Earl Dibbles Jr, Austin Outlaw, Chris Gainz
14. Home Cooked Meal – Granger Smith, Frank Rogers

Smith will join Luke Bryan on the “Huntin,’ Fishin,’ Lovin’ Everyday” tour starting tomorrow (Sept. 14) before launching his own headlining Don’t Tread On Me tour on Nov. 3 with supporting acts Dylan Schneider and Morgan Wallen.

Don’t Tread On Me Headlining Tour 
Nov. 3 – 7 Flags Event Center – Clive, IA
Nov. 4 – Surf Ballroom – Clear Lake, IA
Nov. 5 – The Blue Note, Columbia, MO
Nov. 10 – Grand Casino Mille Lacs – Event Center – Onamia, MN
Nov. 11 – Limelight Event Plex – Peoria, IL
Nov. 16 – The Stage on Bay – Savannah, GA
Nov. 17 – Double Dee’s Ranch – West Palm Beach, FL
Nov. 18 – The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon – Fort Myers, FL
Nov. 22 – Stampede Houston, TX – Houston, TX
Dec. 14 – The City Center – Champaign, IL
Dec. 15 – 8 Seconds Saloon – Indianapolis, IN
Dec. 16 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
Dec. 17 – The Machine Shop – Flint, MI
Dec. 29 – Brewster Street Ice House – Corpus Christi, TX

Reba McEntire will debut as host for the eighth annual CMA Country Christmas event from Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry House. The television taping will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14, followed by the primetime event airing Monday, Nov. 27, 8/7 CT on ABC. The two-hour holiday music celebration will feature performances by McEntire and an as-yet-unannounced lineup sharing their favorite sounds of the season.

“Christmas is such a special time. It reminds me of growing up in Oklahoma and singing carols with my family,” said McEntire. “I’m just tickled to join a group of some of my best Country buddies onstage to celebrate the holiday season. This is where my love of music began.”

Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, Oct. 6 at opry.com.

CMA Country Christmas is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and Jon Macks is the writer.

Leading into the holiday season, McEntire will release My Kind of Christmas Friday, Oct. 13 on Nash Icon Records. The newly-packaged album follows last year’s limited release and includes collaborations with Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Lauren Daigle, Darius Rucker, and Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood.

My Kind of Christmas Track List:

1. Winter Wonderland
2. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
3. Mary, Did You Know? (with Vince Gill and Amy Grant)
4. Jingle Bell Rock
5. O Holy Night
6. Hard Candy Christmas
7. Back To God (with Lauren Daigle) (Acoustic Version)
8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
9. O Come All Ye Faithful
10. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (with Darius Rucker)
11. White Christmas
12. Jingle Bells
13. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
14. Silent Night (with Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood)

Jessi Zazu. Photo: Daniel Meigs

Jessi “Zazu” Wariner, former frontwoman for Nashville rock band Those Darlins, has lost her battle with cancer. She was 28.

Those Darlins, which formed in 2006 out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, also included Nikki Kvarnes and Linwood Regensburg and rotating players after Kelley Anderson left the band in 2012. The band would release three albums, including a self-titled project in 2009, followed by Screws Get Loose in 2011 and Blur The Line in 2013. The band broke up in early 2016 shortly before Wariner announced that she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer.

A talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Wariner was also a gifted visual artist and graphic designer, who designed the book jacket and illustrations for the recent book Good Booty, from music critic and NPR correspondent Ann Powers. Her recent art exhibition, Undefeated, ran at Nashville’s Julia Martin Gallery from June 17 – 28. As a philanthropist, Wariner was heavily involved in volunteering and raising funds for Middle Tennessee’s rock camps for youth, which she attended in her own youth.

Wariner’s uncle is country artist and musician Steve Wariner. Jessi Wariner is survived by her mother Kathy, father David, and brothers Emmett and Oakley.