Riley Green, Hardy, Justin Moore and Tyler Hubbard are among the artists set to take the field for the Folds of Honor Tennessee Rock ’N Jock Celebrity Softball Game on June 2 at Nashville’s First Horizon Park.

Celebrity players will be divided into two teams, Team Military and Team First Responders, and other artists and athletes set to participate include RaeLynn, four-times Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson and her husband, former NFL athlete Andrew East, Comedians John Crist, Danae Hays and Jeff Dye; and 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer Riley Gaines. Lee Greenwood is set to perform his iconic hit “God Bless The USA” during the seventh Inning Stretch, and additional participants for the game will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for the event start at $20 (plus taxes and fees) and are on-sale now via firsthorizonpark.com, and proceeds from the game will benefit Folds of Honor, a leading non-profit that provides educational scholarships to the children and spouses of America’s fallen or disabled military service members and first responders.

“We are thrilled to bring America’s most patriotic softball game back for a 5th year in Nashville,” says Folds of Honor Tennessee Board President Robbie Goldsmith. “We owe a major THANK YOU to the Artists, Athletes, Partners and Fans who support us to make this event bigger every year. We have some amazing names to announce and milestones to reach in 2025. We look forward to setting more fundraising records and invite you to join us in our Folds of Honor Tennessee mission. See you on June 2!”

Additionally, Folds of Honor will honor the 250th anniversary of the military branches — Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard during the game. It’s part of the Marine Corps’ Marine Week Nashville happening throughout the week of June 2, which will feature engagements throughout the community to celebrate and commemorate 250 years of service to our nation with the people of Nashville.

In 2024, the Rock ‘N Jock Celebrity Softball game drew more than 7,500 fans to the stadium and generated more than $436,000. Since its inception in 2007, the organization has awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships, totaling approximately $290 million in educational impact, with 2,981 of those scholarships granted to students in Tennessee.

Preston Berger has joined Big Machine Music as Senior Manager of Publishing. In this new role, Berger will collaborate with the publishing creative team, representing the Big Machine catalog and managing the company’s roster of songwriters. He is already on the job.

“I’m so excited to be joining this exceptional group of executives and songwriters,” shares Berger. “They’ve built something incredible, and I am honored to get to be a part of it.”

Hailing from Lawrenceveille, Georgia, Berger earned his bachelor’s degree in advertising & marketing from the University of Georgia. He began his time in the music business at CAA as an Agent Assistant, before moving to Black River Entertainment. Berger spent the last three years in their publishing department, where he secured cuts for writers with Kane Brown, Jon Pardi, Bailey Zimmerman and more.

In March, Berger was honored for his committment to the publishing community as a Friend of NSAI recipient. He will join Big Machine Music at the AIMP Nashville Awards tonight (April 8) to celebrate the company’s 10 nominations.

“With a strong work ethic and a great ear for pitching songs, Preston fits BMM’s culture of writer service very well,” says Mike Molinar, BMM’s President. “We are excited to have him join the team!”

Berger can be reached at preston.berger@bigmachinemusic.com.

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

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”

Ned 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)