Conner Smith will release his new project STORIES I’VE NEVER TOLD – ACOUSTIC TAPES this Friday (March 13).

The 10 track collection features Smith’s most personal work to date. Solo-penning six of the 10 tracks, Smith also collaborated with Benjy Davis, Josh Phillips, Matt Jenkins and more. The project also features a cover of Zac Brown Band’s “Free.”

“I’m incredibly proud of these songs – they’re real, they’re honest and a true representation of my artistry and songwriting,” says Smith. “Last year, I found myself getting back to the basics and wrote hundreds of songs alone with my guitar. This project is ten of my favorites from that time, recorded exactly as they were written. Just me and my guitar.”

Smith is also gearing up to release more new music throughout the year and will join Thomas Rhett for select dates on the “The Soundtrack Of Your Life Tour” this summer.

STORIES I’VE NEVER TOLD – ACOUSTIC TAPES Track List:
1. “Ain’t Got Enough Faith” (Conner Smith, Josh Phillips, Jordan Reynolds)
2. “South Of It” (Conner Smith, Matt Jenkins, Chris LaCorte, Josh Miller)
3. “Why Do We Do This?” (Conner Smith)
4. “Never Be Gone” (Conner Smith)
5. “Man I Was Made To Be” (Conner Smith)
6. “All The Way Down” (Conner Smith)
7. “The Reason” (Conner Smith)
8. “Callin’ While I Can” (Conner Smith, Jack Rauton, Benjy Davis)
9. “Industry Plant” (Conner Smith)
10. “Free (cover)” (Zac Brown, Zac Brown Band)

Tammy Wynette will be honored with a star-studded tribute concert, “Forever Yours,” on March 30 at the Ryman that will be recorded for broadcast on PBS Great Performances.

The special event will feature some of the biggest voices in country performing Wynette’s most iconic hits, and the lineup includes Wynonna Judd performing “Woman to Woman” and joining Randy Houser for the classic duet “We’re Gonna Hold On;” The War and Treaty delivering “Golden Ring” and Ann Wilson of Heart performing the classic “Stand by Your Man.”

The show will also include Gretchen Wilson performing “Til I Get It Right,” KT Tunstall performing “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” Terri Clark singing “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad” and much more.  Wynette’s daughter, Georgette Jones, will also perform a special tribute to honor her mother with “I Hope You Knew.” Tickets and more details can be found here, with more details on an airdate to be announced soon.

Wynette rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential voices in country music history. Known as the “First Lady of Country Music,” she moved to Nashville in 1966, where producer Billy Sherrill signed her and helped launch a string of landmark recordings including the timeless hits “Stand by Your Man” and “Apartment No. 9.” The country queen earned multiple Grammys, three CMA Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year, and sold more than 30 million records worldwide throughout her career.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will open a new exhibit exploring the life and career of Clint Black, titled “Clint Black: The Hard Way On Purpose.” The new exhibit will showcase Black’s story from a working-class upstart to topping the charts and paving his own way to country music stardom. The exhibit will be open from April 22 through August 2027, and is included with museum admission.

“Black’s decades-long determination to write and perform his own songs, and to advocate for artists’ rights, marked him as a maverick and proved causes worth standing up for,” says Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “His voice, words and melodies have added immeasurably to country music’s rich history — etched on the hearts of millions.”

“When I was told the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum wanted to create an exhibit about my life and career, I truly was surprised and moved,” adds Black. “I wouldn’t have expected it, and I feel so fortunate to have such an incredible team of talented people working so hard to bring my story to life in this exhibit. I wanted to do everything I could to support their efforts and share anything I could with the fans from my journey in music, movies and life in general. I’m very excited to be a part of the greatest museum in the world.”

The exhibit will include stage wear, instruments, memorabilia, manuscripts, photographs, videos and more. Items to be displayed include:
– The second-place trophy Black won for selling newspaper subscriptions to the Houston Post —one of his first jobs in the paper’s annual Top Salesman contest in 1978.
– One of three Martin guitars that Black purchased after receiving his first substantial paycheck from RCA Records in 1990.
– Lyrics Black wrote on his summer 1991 tour itinerary when his musical hero Merle Haggard appeared as a special guest. Backstage one night, Black offered to help Haggard finish a song he was working on. “Untanglin’ My Mind” became a Top Five country hit for Black in 1994 and was recorded by Haggard two years later.
– The desert camouflage fatigues Black wore during his 1993 USO tour of Somalia where he performed for American troops at base camps and other locations in the war-torn east African nation.
– The playing cards Black used in his acting debut in a brief but memorable appearance as the “Sweet-faced Gambler” in the 1994 Hollywood film Maverick. Caught cheating at poker in a scene with the movie’s stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, his character’s stunt double is thrown overboard from a riverboat.
– The director’s chair Black used while filming the video for his song “Summer’s Comin’,” a No. 1 hit in 1995.
– A draft of handwritten lyrics by Black for his chart-topping 1996 single, “Like the Rain.” Using the working title “I Never Liked the Rain,” this manuscript includes some different lyrics to the version he recorded and was co-written with his friend and long-time bandmate, guitarist Hayden Nicholas.
– A copy of the Larry Sanders Show script from the show’s final episode in 1998 — signed by the cast including Tom Petty. Comedian and actor Gary Shandling had invited his good friend Black to appear in the program and Black and Petty staged a fight scene in the episode, with Petty calling Black “Roy Rogers.”
– Lisa Hartman Black’s Brides International dress — with floral embroidery and tulle skirt and shawl — and Black’s Versace jacket that the married couple wore in the music video for “When I Said I Do.” The duet topped Billboard’s country singles chart in 1999 and was named the Top Vocal Event of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.

Pictured (L-R): Ryan Beuschel (TNA), Jake Moore (TNA), Jacob Hackworth, Kos Weaver (Goat Island), Sam Shelton (Goat Island). Photo: Logan Domer

Jacob Hackworth has signed with The Neal Agency for booking.

The West Plains, Missouri native amassed more than a billion streams in 2025 as a songwriter. He has earned over 60 major label cuts, including Bailey Zimmerman’s six-week No.1 hit, “Rock and a Hard Place,” Corey Kent’s No. 1 hit “This Heart,” three songs from Jelly Roll’s GRAMMY-winning, chart-topping album Beautifully Broken, Morgan Wallen’s “Jack and Jill,” six songs from Tucker Wetmore’s debut album including“Wine Into Whiskey,” and more.

Hackworth began writing songs as a child and earned his first industry recognition with his releases, “When I Don’t,” “You Ain’t” and “Bad As I Do.” He relocated to Music City in 2019 and earned his first publishing deal with Goat Island Sound & Boom Music Group in 2022.

“I couldn’t be happier to have The Neal Agency as part of my team. I’ve watched them build an incredible reputation — not just for the success they’ve achieved, but for the way they genuinely champion their artists. Seeing what they’ve done for friends of mine who are already on the roster made the decision feel like a no-brainer,” says Hackworth. “From my very first meeting with Jake, we just clicked. He understood the vision, the long game and who I am as an artist. And honestly, my dad’s one of the best judges of character I know — he met Jake and immediately said, ‘That’s your guy.’ When your gut and your circle both say ‘yes,’ you listen.”

“We’re excited to add Jacob Hackworth to TNA’s roster,” shares TNA Agent Jake Moore. “He is a proven hit songwriter and we can’t wait for the world to see what an incredibly talented artist he is as well.”