Cole Swindell will kick off his new headlining “Happy Hour Sad Tour” on September 4 in Toledo. Priscilla Block will join as direct support for all dates, with Logan Crosby and Greylan James each joining on select dates.
Named after a new song on his upcoming fifth album for Warner Music Nashville, Spanish Moss, the new tour will visit Lexington, Macon, Cedar Rapids, St. Augustine and more through Oct. 26.
“I cannot wait to get out on the road this year for the ‘Happy Hour Sad Tour’,” shares Swindell. “Getting to write songs and make music for a living is a dream come true, and there are so many folks that make that happen! I hope the fans that spend their hard-earned money to come out and support us know how much we appreciate it and how much we love seeing them out there having fun. It’s always a new level of excitement to be touring with a new album out so I expect this fall to be one to remember. I’m pumped to have Priscilla, Logan and Greylan out there with us, 3 artists I really believe in, getting the crowd fired up for a great night.”
Spanish Moss features Swindell’s current top five single, “Forever To Me,” which he co-wrote with James and Rocky Block to celebrate his engagement and wedding to his wife Courtney last year. The track holds even greater significance now, as it also honors the upcoming birth of their first child, a daughter, this fall. The proud husband and soon-to-be father released a special digital-only remix of “Forever To Me (Our Version)” last month.
Pre-sale tickets for Swindell’s fan club will be available beginning tomorrow (April 8), with general sale on Friday (April 11).
“Happy Hour Sad Tour” Dates:
Sept. 4- Toledo, OH- Huntington Center
Sept. 5- Canton, OH- Memorial Civic Center
Sept. 11- Huntington, WV- Marshall Health Network Arena
Sept. 12- Erie, PA- Insurance Arena
Sept. 13- Wilkes-Barre, PA- Mohegan Sun Arena
Sept. 18- Lexington, KY- Rupp Arena
Sept. 19- Athens, GA- Akins Ford Arena
Sept. 20- Macon, GA- Atrium Health Amphitheater
Sept. 25- Brookings, SD- Dacotah Bank Center
Sept. 26- Cedar Rapids, IA- Alliant Energy PowerHouse
Sept. 27- Grand Forks, ND- Alerus Center
Oct. 2- Loveland, CO- Blue FCU Arena
Oct. 3- Casper, WY- Ford Wyoming Center
Oct. 4- Bozeman, MT- Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
Oct. 9- Everett, WA- Angel of the Winds Arena
Oct. 10- Kennewick, WA- Toyota Center
Oct. 11- Nampa, ID- Ford Idaho Amphitheater
Oct. 24- Hollywood, FL- Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard
Oct. 25- Clearwater, FL- The Baycare Sound
Oct. 26- St. Augustine, FL- The St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Eddie Montgomery Named Brand Ambassador For Southern Kentucky Distillery
/by Lorie HollabaughEddie Montgomery
Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery has been named Brand Ambassador for Southern Kentucky Distillery.
Founded by three Kentucky natives, Southern Kentucky Distillery created the first “legal” bourbon in Kentucky’s Cumberland County since prohibition. SKD offers a variety of products, including six flavors of Slate Fork Moonshine, Ancient Sun Vodka, Turby’s Cherrywood Bourbon, Mad Monkey Cinnamon Whiskey and more.
SKD is situated in the Foothill Mountains of Appalachia, between Lake Cumberland, Dale Hollow Lake and the Cumberland River. The distillery is a popular destination for the thousands of tourists exploring the area or traveling along the Bourbon Trail or Moonshine Trail.
“SKD is honored and proud to have Eddie as our Brand Ambassador,” shares Co-Founder, Kevin Dailey. “We are a family business and Eddie fits right in with us. We feel he is the right guy to help us grow our brands regionally and nationally. Eddie represents hard working folks that also like to play hard – he couldn’t be more perfect for us.”
“I’m so happy that I gotta sit on my hands to keep ‘em from wavin’ at everybody,” adds Montgomery. “These guys are home-grown, true-blue Kentuckians, I couldn’t be prouder. They’re more like brothers and family than they are like partners. We are gonna be bringing the party together to you this summer!”
Montgomery continues to tour coast-to-coast with a collection of rowdy and heartfelt songs including his latest collection, Home Run, a six-song EP filled with stories of fatherly wisdom, brotherly appreciation and a boot-stomping rendition of Montgomery Gentry’s first single “Hillbilly Shoes.”
Amy Grant & Vince Gill Reveal Annual Ryman Christmas Residency Dates
/by Madison HahnenAmy Grant & Vince Gill
Amy Grant and Vince Gill have unveiled their annual “Christmas at the Ryman” residency, taking place Dec. 10-Dec. 20 for its 15th year.
This year’s run will include 12 shows total, with double show days taking place on Dec. 13, Dec. 14, Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. The duo has made “Christmas at the Ryman” a beloved holiday tradition, drawing fans from across the country and around the globe to the iconic venue. Grant and Gill have performed over 100 “Christmas at the Ryman” shows, making them the first artists to headline 100 performances at the Ryman. In previous years, the duo has treated audiences to holiday classics like “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “O Holy Night,” “Tennessee Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland,” among many others.
Tickets for all “Christmas at the Ryman” shows will go on sale this Friday (April 11) at 1o a.m. CST here.
2025 “Christmas at the Ryman” Dates:
Dec. 10 at 7:30 PM
Dec. 11 at 7:30 PM
Dec. 13 at 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 14 at 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 16 at 7:30 PM
Dec. 17 at 7:30 PM
Dec. 19 at 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Dec. 20 at 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM
NSAI Elects 2025 Board Of Directors
/by Madison HahnenPictured (clockwise): Lydia Vaughan, Deric Ruttan, Dan Wilson & Jimmy Yeary.
The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has revealed its 2025 Board of Directors.
Deric Ruttan, Lydia Vaughan and Dan Wilson were elected to the board as first time members, while Jimmy Yeary is re-joining the board. Kelly Archer, Jessie Jo Dillon, David Hodges, Lee Thomas Miller, Tim Nichols, Josh Osborne, Troy Verges and Parker Welling were all re-elected for two year terms.
Roger Brown will once again serve as Legislative Chair for one year, while Rhett Akins and Caitlyn Smith will serve in the Artist Writer positions again. The Industry Liaison position will be re-served by Brett James.
Existing board members also include Trannie Anderson, Steve Bogard, Chris DeStefano, J.T. Harding, Byron Hill, Josh Kear, Jamie Moore, Jon Nite, Liz Rose, Jenn Schott and Emily Shackelton, who will be serving the second of their two-year term this year.
The 2025 officers include Miller, who will serve as President alongside Vice President Schott. Nichols will be the Sgt.-at-Arms, while Hill will serve as Secretary and Bogard as Treasurer.
The NSAI Board elections take place in two phases, one involving voting by the NSAI Professional Songwriter Membership, while the other consists of appointments made by the NSAI Board of Directors.
Billy Strings & Bryan Sutton Surprise Release ‘Live At The Legion’
/by Lorie HollabaughBilly Strings and Bryan Sutton. Photo: Joshua Black Wilkins
Billy Strings teamed up with guitarist Bryan Sutton to surprise release a collaborative new project, Live at the Legion, out now.
Recorded live on April 7, 2024 at Nashville’s American Legion Post 82, the album features the acclaimed duo performing 20 traditional bluegrass and folk songs, including new renditions of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” Doc Watson’s “Way Downtown” and more. Released as a surprise to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the recording, the album is available to stream now.
In celebration of the new release, Strings and Sutton will perform a series of intimate shows this fall with Royal Masat including stops at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky for two nights, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for two nights, Chattanooga’s The Signal and Boone, North Carolina’s Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts for two nights. The shows will be ticketed as a lottery, with ticket requests open now until April 21 at 1 p.m. CT. at billystrings.com/LATL.
Ahead of the joint dates, Strings will continue his extensive headline tour through this summer and will also join Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour next month and embark on his first headline arena tour across Australia and New Zealand in July.
Live At The Legion Track List:
1. “Nashville Blues”
2. “Tom Dooley”
3. “Little Darling Pal of Mine”
4. “Walk on Boy”
5. “Texas Gales”
6. “Cold, Cold World”
7. “Way Downtown”
8. “Randall Collins > Done Gone”
9. “Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents”
10. “Groundhog”
11. “Open Up Them Pearly Gates”
12. “Two Soldiers”
13. “Last Day At Gettysburg”
14. “Salt Creek > Big Sandy River”
15. “Travelin’ Man”
16. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”
17. “Darling Corey”
18. “Mary Of The Wild Moor”
19. “Give The Fiddler A Dram > Whistling Rufus > Ragtime Annie”
20. “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar”
Emily Rose Chronicles Her Parenting Journey On Upcoming Debut Album ‘Welcome To Motherhood’
/by Lorie HollabaughRising Nashville singer-songwriter Emily Rose is gearing up for the release of her debut studio album Welcome to Motherhood April 11 via Mishi Records.
The 12-track album chronicles Rose’s personal journey as a young working mother, filled with the wonderful and challenging moments young parents face and wrapped in classic country and country/pop-infused melodies. Produced by Rose, Gideon Klein and Gabriel Klein, Welcome to Motherhood features tracks co-written by Rose with writers including Tori Tullier, Melissa Fuller, Kate Malone, Madeline Stone, Sam Lorber and Debbie Hupp, whose own personal experiences as a mother and artist inspired some of the songs on this collection.
“No one can prepare a person for the way they will feel the moment they lay eyes on their firstborn child. In a matter of seconds, your world is turned upside down and your perspective changes—along with your beliefs and your priorities,” says Rose. “For the longest time, I thought that becoming a mother would be the death of my music career. I was wrong. If anything, it gave me purpose, it gave me something to say, and it shaped me and my music.
“My debut album Welcome to Motherhood is a collection of my most honest thoughts, my experiences, my doubts, my questions, my insecurities; the songs on the album reflect my story, but they also reflect other people’s stories, too,” she continues. “That is my aim with this album: start the right conversations, ask the questions, help other women feel seen and heard, and shed some light on all the things motherhood and being a new mom. My biggest hope is that the listener finds a little bit of themselves in the songs on this album.”
Rose will perform a special album release show to celebrate her debut album at The Local Nashville on April 15. To date, she has amassed more than one million streams across her digital platforms.
Welcome To Motherhood Track List:
1. “Back to Work” (Tori Tullier / Emily Rose)
2. “Mouths to Feed” (Melissa Fuller / Kate Malone / Emily Rose)
3. “Empty Cup” (Melissa Fuller / Emily Rose)
4. “Village” (Tori Tullier / Emily Rose)
5. “Happy Father’s Day” (Debbie Hupp / Emily Rose)
6. “My Mother” (Emily Rose)
7. “Just Like That” (Madeline Stone / Sam Lorber / Emily Rose)
8. “Messy” (Debbie Hupp / Emily Rose)
9. “Don’t Talk About It” (Emily Rose)
10. “Guilty” (Kate Malone / Emily Rose)
11. “Babies Don’t Keep” (Debbie Hupp / Emily Rose)
12. “Tiny Biggest Love” (Debbie Hupp / Emily Rose)
Ned LeDoux Braves Some Emotional Territory On New Album ‘Safe Haven’
/by Lorie HollabaughNed LeDoux creates a bit of joy amidst life’s tragedy and loss on his new album, Safe Haven, out now.
Produced by Mac McAnally and named after his late daughter, Haven Jo, Safe Haven features a magical duet with his late father, Chris LeDoux, and introduces a more risk-taking, bolder style of songwriting than LeDoux’s country style, opening listeners up to a deeper side of the man.
LeDoux has released several tracks from the project, including the spiritual “Real As I Believe,” and “Boys Growing Up,” an anthemic return to the heyday of good, earnest country music. Along with acknowledging his daughter and his dad, he also dedicates some space on the album to the ranching life he grew up with and still immerses himself in when he’s not on the road or in Kansas with his wife.
“Music can be a powerful thing,” say LeDoux.“It opened me up and exposed me in ways I never expected. Very spiritual for sure.”
Safe Haven Track List:
1. “Boys Growing Up” (Corey Kent / Jamie Kenney / Lee Miller)
2. “My Father’s Boots” (Chris August / Drew Kennedy)
3. “One Hand In The Riggin’” (Bruce Bouton / Brenn Hill)
4. “Legend Born” (Mark Sissel / Ned LeDoux)
5. “Workin’ Man’s Dollar” (Chris LeDoux)
6. “Story of the Hired Hand” (Ned LeDoux)
7. “Real As I Believe” (J.P. Williams / Kenna Turner West / Lonnie Fowler)
8. “Haven’s Lullaby” (Ned LeDoux)
9. “Long Ride” (Scotty Emerick / Clint Daniels / Ned LeDoux)
10. “New Roads” (Ned LeDoux)
11. “Traveling Man” (Ned LeDoux)
12. “Six Bucks A Day” (Bob Frank)
Morgan Wallen Hits Top Five On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by Madison HahnenMorgan Wallen. Photo: Spidey Smith
Morgan Wallen has entered the top five on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart. “I Had Some Help,” “I’m The Problem,” “Just In Case,” “Love Somebody” and “Smile” all put the singer-songwriter at No. 5 this week.
Ashley Gorley stays at No. 1 with “Fix What You Didn’t Break,” “I Had Some Help,” “Liar,” “Love Somebody,” “Not At This Party,” “Park,” “She Hates Me” and “This Town’s Been Too Good To Us.” Riley Green remains at No. 2 with solo-penned “Worst Way.”
Charlie Handsome (No. 3) and Taylor Phillips (No. 4) round out this week’s top five.
The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Jordan Fletcher Maps Out ‘State Road 13’ Release For April 18
/by Lorie HollabaughRising singer-songwriter Jordan Fletcher is gearing up for the release of his new EP, State Road 13, on April 18. Fletcher is giving fans a taste of the new project with his latest track, “What Do I Know,” out now.
The tongue-in-cheek single is a light-hearted look at things once believed to be tried and true that get turned on their heads. Fletcher has also released a new video for the song revealing life on the road with him and his band as they unwind, making the memories that leave scars.
“I wrote ‘What Do I Know’ with Eric Arjes and Austin Nivarel. We went into the studio wanting to create something that sounded like the music we grew up listening to,” says Fletcher. “The song has an easy going sound to kind of balance the lyrics which are about a breakup. I’m incredibly proud of how this song turned out.”
State Road 13 Track List:
1. “What Do I Know” (Jordan Fletcher, Eric Arjes, Austin Nivarel)
2. “No Question” (Jordan Fletcher, Michael Lotten, Justin Wilson)
3. “Sunset to Me” (Jordan Fletcher, Lindsay Rimes, Phil Barton)
4. “Rather Be Broke” (Ian Christian, Stephen Carey, Jordan Fletcher)
5. “Hometowns Don’t” (Jason Nix, Phil Barton, Jordan Fletcher)
6. “Lost Boy” (Jordan Fletcher, Lindsay Rimes, Phil Barton)
Cole Swindell Slates ‘Happy Hour Sad Tour’ For Fall
/by Lorie HollabaughCole Swindell will kick off his new headlining “Happy Hour Sad Tour” on September 4 in Toledo. Priscilla Block will join as direct support for all dates, with Logan Crosby and Greylan James each joining on select dates.
Named after a new song on his upcoming fifth album for Warner Music Nashville, Spanish Moss, the new tour will visit Lexington, Macon, Cedar Rapids, St. Augustine and more through Oct. 26.
“I cannot wait to get out on the road this year for the ‘Happy Hour Sad Tour’,” shares Swindell. “Getting to write songs and make music for a living is a dream come true, and there are so many folks that make that happen! I hope the fans that spend their hard-earned money to come out and support us know how much we appreciate it and how much we love seeing them out there having fun. It’s always a new level of excitement to be touring with a new album out so I expect this fall to be one to remember. I’m pumped to have Priscilla, Logan and Greylan out there with us, 3 artists I really believe in, getting the crowd fired up for a great night.”
Spanish Moss features Swindell’s current top five single, “Forever To Me,” which he co-wrote with James and Rocky Block to celebrate his engagement and wedding to his wife Courtney last year. The track holds even greater significance now, as it also honors the upcoming birth of their first child, a daughter, this fall. The proud husband and soon-to-be father released a special digital-only remix of “Forever To Me (Our Version)” last month.
Pre-sale tickets for Swindell’s fan club will be available beginning tomorrow (April 8), with general sale on Friday (April 11).
Sept. 11- Huntington, WV- Marshall Health Network Arena
Sept. 13- Wilkes-Barre, PA- Mohegan Sun Arena
Sept. 18- Lexington, KY- Rupp Arena
Amazon Music To Livestream Stagecoach 2025
/by Madison HahnenAmazon Music will return as the exclusive livestream partner for this year’s Stagecoach Festival, taking place April 25-27 in Indio, California.
Through the livestream, fans from anywhere around the globe will be able to see sets from Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Lana Del Rey, Carly Pearce, Brothers Osborne, Nelly, Creed, Dasha, Sturgill Simpson, Backstreet Boys, Midland, T-Pain, Tigirlily Gold and Scotty McCreery, among others.
The livestream will be available on Twitch, Prime Video and the Amazon Music app, and will kick off at 6 p.m. CST each day. Hosted by Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson from Country Heat Weekly, the stream will also feature conversations with many of the festivals’ artists.
New this year, Amazon Music will also be replaying the full broadcast of the festival each day for fans worldwide starting at 2 a.m. CST each day on April 26-28.