Randy Owen, patient Faith and Keith Urban. Photo: Kayla Schoen / CRS

Keith Urban received The Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award yesterday (March 19) at CRS in Nashville for his outstanding commitment and service to the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

During the St. Jude program at CRS, iHeartCountry Brand Coordinator/SVPP Gator Harrison interviewed Urban about the importance of his support for St. Jude throughout his career. After the discussion, Owen surprised Urban with the award, having made the first call to his fellow artists in 1989 to rally around St. Jude from the stages of CRS. St. Jude patient Faith was in attendance to help Owen present the award to Urban.

“Being recognized with the Angels Among Us Award is not something I take lightly,” says Urban. “I’ve witnessed the courage shown by the children and families at St. Jude for more than 20 years, and it never ceases to amaze me. By standing together, we’ve been able to help St. Jude continue advancing research and treatment for children around the world with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is an absolute honor to stand behind a mission this meaningful.”

Urban has supported St. Jude for more than 20 years and began visiting the hospital in 1998. In 2015, St. Jude named him the founding Artist Ambassador of the Connected Caring program, connecting Urban and patients to share personal stories and a love for music. Over the years, Urban has participated in countless benefit concerts, radiothons, livestreams, St. Jude marketing campaigns, a special album release and meet-and-greets with St. Jude patients.

“Country music has a long and meaningful history of supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Keith Urban stands among our most enduring champions,” says Ike Anand, President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. “We are grateful to Keith and the country music community for their continued commitment to the St. Jude mission. Thanks to the generosity of artists like Keith and Randy Owen, St. Jude is able to advance lifesaving research and treatment while also bringing moments of joy and comfort to patients and families through the power of music.”

Music Gives to St. Jude Kids helps to raise more than $70 million annually to accelerate research and treatment by St. Jude to help children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The program unites more than 350 radio and music partners in the shared mission.

Sarah Pfeiffer & Gabriella Pulley

The Core Entertainment has added Sarah Pfeiffer and Gabriella Pulley. Both will report to The Core Entertainment’s CEOs and Co-Founders, Simon Tikhman and Chief Zaruk, and will be based in The Core’s Nashville offices.

Pfeiffer joins the company as Head of Marketing. She arrives from Columbia Records, where she spent eight years working across campaigns for artists including Harry Styles, Ella Langley, ROSALÍA, Tyler, The Creator, blink-182, The Chainsmokers, Koe Wetzel, Max McNown and Alana Springsteen. In her new role, she will oversee marketing for The Core Entertainment’s roster of artists, with a focus on The Core Records which includes Baylee Lynn, Brandon Wisham and more.

“Throughout my career, I’ve discovered a deep passion for developing artists,” says Pfeiffer. “I feel truly at home here at The Core and am excited to step into this role—continuing to grow our team and craft innovative, intentional, and competitive marketing campaigns that help our artists elevate their music and expand their fan bases.”

Pulley joins The Core Entertainment as Chief of Staff. Pulley most recently served as day-to-day manager at 7s Management, where she worked with Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, including through the band’s Madison Square Garden sellout. Earlier in her career, she oversaw day-to-day management throughout Zach Bryan’s rise from theaters to arenas and stadiums. In her new role, Pulley will work across management, records, partnerships and company operations, helping support the next phase of The Core’s expansion.

“I’m thrilled to join a company that prioritizes investing not only in its artists but also in the people behind them,” shares Pulley. “The leadership team is one of the most experienced and forward-thinking groups I’ve had the opportunity to work with. The Core has an exciting road ahead, and I’m honored to be part of a team building what we believe will be a lasting impact on the industry.”

“We’re really excited to welcome Sarah and Gabriella to The Core,” adds Tikhman and Zaruk, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of The Core Entertainment. “Sarah is an incredibly sharp and thoughtful marketing executive who really understands how to build campaigns around artists in a meaningful way, and Gabriella brings a level of organization, leadership and calm that is so valuable as a company grows. Just as importantly, they’re both great people, and culture matters a lot to us. We’ve been very intentional about building this team, and these are the kind of hires that make us better.”

Kenny Chesney. Photo: Allister Ann

Kenny Chesney will perform an exclusive show at Flora-Bama on April 18 with SiriusXM.

The intimate show celebrates 10 years of Chesney’s exclusive SiriusXM channel, No Shoes Radio. Curated and presented by Chesney, the channel features music from himself, his favorite artists across multiple musical genres, live performances, backstage moments and more. To further celebrate, No Shoes Radio will feature daily re-broadcasts of past live concerts, exclusive SiriusXM events with fans, and best-of highlights from Chesney’s summer tours over the coming months.

“We started No Shoes Radio on the internet as a something fun to do, a place to play that special cocktail of reggae, rock, country and more,” says Chesney. “When SiriusXM embraced what we were doing, it opened up a whole other portal for people who live in these songs. After ten years, we needed to do something that captured the sea salt, the joy and all the memories in our music. What better place than inside the Flora-Bama?”

“Kenny Chesney has built something truly special with No Shoes Radio over the past ten years. It’s more than a channel, it’s a community that captures the spirit of his music and the connection he has with his fans,” adds Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer. “Celebrating a decade of No Shoes Radio on SiriusXM with a concert in Flora-Bama, a place that embodies that same laid-back, coastal energy, feels like the perfect way to mark this milestone.”

SiriusXM subscribers can enter for a chance to win a trip to the concert here.

Country Radio Seminar kicked off Wednesday (March 19) at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Below are some of the highlights from yesterday’s programming.

‘Y’all Means All: Expanding The Audience’ Kicks Off CRS Week

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

CRS 2026 kicked off yesterday with the “Y’all Means All: Expanding The Audience” breakfast. Moderated by Amber Anderson, the event featured Al Farb, Ty Herndon, James Marsh and MŌRIAH.

Streaming Experts Share Findings On Teen Music Listeners

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

CMA presented findings from its recently completed teen-focused research study, a custom project designed to better understand the next generation of country music listeners. Following the data presentation, a panel composed of radio and streaming programmers, as well as Conner Smith, discussed the future audience pipeline for the genre.

‘Cycle of A Song’ Highlights ‘Single Again’

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

As part of the “Cycle of A Song” series, Wednesday’s session focused on Josh Ross‘ chart-topper “Single Again.” Panelists Damon Moberly, Julia Robert, Jackie Augustus, Tracy Martin, Julie Adam and Justin Cole joined Ross to explain the journey the song took to become a hit, showcasing the vital roles social media, streaming platforms, radio play and touring can play in building an artist’s audience.

Warner Music Nashville Luncheon

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

CRS attendees enjoyed lunch and good music at the Warner Music Nashville Luncheon. This year’s edition featured performances from Ashley McBryde, Blake Whiten, Gabby Barrett, The Band Loula and The Creekers.

CRS Honors Recognizes Industry Professionals

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

The Country Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2026 were announced during CRS Honors. This year’s honorees include Chris Carr, Michael J, Rick Jackson, Marci Braun, Phil Hunt, Bruce Logan and John Marks. CRS also presented four prestigious scholarships during the event, including the Rusty Walker Scholarship, the Lisa McKay Women in Radio Scholarship and the Whitney Allen “Hot Mic” Scholarship.

The event featured performances from Frank Ray and HARDY, and Parker McCollum joined to help unveil the honorees.

Amazon Music Presents ‘Country Heat’ at CRS 2026

Photo: Courtesy of CRS

To end the Digital Music Summit on day one of CRS, Amazon Music brought the party of their “Country Heat” show. Attendees were treated to music from headliner Parker McCollum along with Max McNown, Carter Faith and Zach John King.