Grand Ole Opry’s final night at the Ryman Auditorium on March 15, 1974. Photo: Courtesy Grand Ole Opry archives

The Grand Ole Opry is set to return to its former home at the Ryman Auditorium on July 17. This special performance is a tribute to the historic March 15, 1974 Grand Ole Opry broadcast, the final night of the Opry’s original Ryman run. Throughout that portion of the show, moments from the 1974 broadcast will be closely recreated for the Ryman and radio audiences.

“I am certain this is going to be another unforgettable part of our 100th year,” said Opry Executive Producer Dan Rogers. “For generations of Opry fans and artists, the Opry’s 1943 – 1974 run at the Ryman was a truly magical part of the Opry’s 100-year history. While we can’t actually turn back time, we’re going to do our best with performances and even commercial reads to transport fans to that historic evening when the Opry said farewell to the Mother Church of Country Music. I grew up listening to my parents talk about having witnessed Opry shows at the Ryman during that era, and for an hour or so on July 17, we’ll all have an experience similar to theirs.”

The Opry’s longest-serving member ever, Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson, was among those who performed on March 15, 1974 and is scheduled to return to reprise his set from that historic evening. “The last Grand Ole Opry show at the Ryman would have been special under any circumstances,” Anderson recalls, “but it was made extra special for me by the fact that my mom and dad had driven up from Georgia to be in the audience. Twenty years earlier, in 1954, they had brought me to Nashville and to the Ryman to see the Opry for the very first time. None of us could have ever imagined the summer before my senior year in high school that only a few years later I would be performing on that very stage, let alone go on to become the longest serving Opry member in history. That night in 1974 I stood alongside many of my heroes from those earlier days, smiling down at my parents, and saying so long to the only Opry home I had ever known…definitely a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. When the Opry asked me if I’d be part of helping to re-create that last night at the Ryman in 1974…and sing the songs I sang back then…I readily agreed. ‘Just don’t ask me to wear the same clothes I wore that night,’ I quipped. ‘Even if I could find them, I’d never be able to get in them!’”

Among those joining Anderson during the throwback will be Lorrie Morgan, whose father George Morgan was the final artist to perform on the March 15, 1974 Opry show, as well as Mandy Barnett and Chuck Mead. Among those appearing earlier in the night will be CMA award-winning group The Band Perry.

Submissions are now open for the Texas Songwriter U 2026 program and will remain open through Nov. 1.

Texas singer-songwriter Jack Ingram will host the three-day songwriter discovery and development program in partnership with BMI, the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association and NSAI.

Texas Songwriter U features showcases, feedback sessions, co-writing opportunities, and direct access to top industry leaders. Mentors for the 2026 season include Jack Ingram, a fierce advocate for emerging artists and longtime champion of TXSU, along with Grammy-winning songwriter & Hall of Fame inductee Liz Rose and Grammy-winning songwriter Lori McKenna.

Eight finalists will be selected to attend the 2026 program Feb. 1-4 at a private ranch just outside Austin. Applicants must be at least 18, and have either been born in Texas, currently live in Texas, or have lived in the state for five consecutive years. Applicants may hold a current publishing agreement, and TxSU will accept both self-published and co-written songs. A $25 processing fee is required for all contest applicants, and songwriters can submit their songs at texassongwriteru.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Apple Music

Apple Music has honored the legacy of Toby Keith with its newest release, titled “Apple Music Nashville Sessions: Toby Keith Covered Collection,” featuring live-recorded covers of the icon’s catalog performed by Ashley McBryde, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Parker McCollum, Riley Green and Tucker Wetmore.

“Toby Keith loved music and especially singer-songwriters. He would be so proud of this group of monster talent that covered his songs,” said TK Kimbrell, Toby Keith’s longtime manager and friend. “Thanks, Ashley, Ella, Megan, Parker, Riley and Tucker! Y’all are truly the hottest of the hot, and Toby’s music lives on!”

All covers are available exclusively on Apple Music and include “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action” by McBryde, “Wish I Didn’t Know Now” by Langley, “Who’s Your Daddy?” by Moroney, “Who’s That Man” by McCollum, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” by Green and “As Good As I Once Was” by Wetmore.

“‘A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action’ comes from Toby’s first record in 1993. I’m 10, and I’m at an age now where I can pick songs that I listen to,” says McBryde. “When I think of the word ‘honky-tonk’ and what that would sound like, this is one of my references, like Brooks & Dunn would be a reference. Mark Chesnutt would be a reference. Toby Keith is definitely a reference, especially this song. And then, in my adult life, this song has stayed on my playlist, my bonfire playlist, my go-hang-out-on-a-boat-with-my-friends playlist, or pools or whatever the event is. This is one of my mainstays.”

“When I hear the word ‘legacy,’ I think of legends, and Toby Keith is definitely one of those legends in my book,” says Wetmore. “Like the old saying goes, legends never die, and neither will his music. Toby Keith’s music, in three words, is legendary, nostalgic, and just something that’ll never grow old.”

“It’s one of my favorite Toby songs and one of my favorite country songs of all time,” adds McCollum. “I feel like as a songwriter, I’m always trying to write songs from that perspective of the sad, heartbreak love songs about everything going terribly wrong, which this song encapsulates pretty well. You never had to wonder whose song it was when you heard a Toby song, and this one’s at the top of my list in his catalog. It’s an honor to get to do it.”

Eric Church. Photo: Anthony D’Angio

Eric Church’s three-night run of shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre over July 14-16 are now available to fans around the globe as a pay-per-view event via nugs, the live concert streaming platform.

In the exclusive, pay-per-view event fans can tune in as Church curates a unique, immersive experience for each of the special shows. On July 14 Eric Church vs. The Machine will feature a full-scale production featuring his band joined by a dynamic ensemble of strings, horns and choir. On July 15 Eric Church vs. The ECB will include a raw, high-energy set with his original band, including longtime collaborator Joanna Cotten. The July 16 show Eric Church vs. The Guitar will feature a stripped-down, intimate evening with Church delivering an acoustic performance.

Available in both HD and 4K, the pay-per-view events can be purchased now via the nugs mobile app on iOS and Android or online via nugs.net. While mobile and desktop are the points of purchase, the shows can also be streamed on the big screen via the nugs app on Roku or AppleTV. Church has a long, storied history at Red Rocks, making his debut on the legendary stage in August 2007. His August 2016 performance at the venue was captured for a PBS special, highlighted by his striking cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

With the recent release of his new album Evangeline vs. The Machine, Church will also bring this next chapter of his live show to fans in arenas coast to coast with his 22-date “Free the Machine Tour,” which kicks off on Sept. 12.

The No Ka ‘Oi Songwriters Festival returns to South Maui Nov. 6–9, bringing songwriters to the island for a long weekend of music, storytelling and philanthropy.

Now in its second year, the event is has performances and programming taking place in the Wailea and Kihei communities. In addition to hosting exclusive shows, the festival raises funds for Lele Aloha Foundation, which provides direct aid including housing solutions, essential supplies and support for families affected by the 2023 Lahaina wildfires, and the Maui Family YMCA Music Program, which has delivered more than 600 free music lessons in piano and ukulele.

This year’s guests include Jeffrey Steele, Jessi Alexander, Randy Houser, Tucker Wetmore, Marti Frederiksen, Mackenzie Carpenter, Lydia Vaughan, Jacob Hackworth, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Elisha Hoffman, Derick Sebastian, Micah Carpenter, Ryan Beaver and many special guests to be announced.

“Music is powerful but pairing it with purpose is where the real magic happens,” says festival co-founder Danny Goodfellow. “This is more than a festival—it’s a cultural bridge between Nashville and Maui, and a way to give back to a community that inspires us.”

A full schedule and ticket information is available here.