Grayson May

Up and coming songwriter-artist Grayson May has been awarded NSAI’s 8th annual Todd Givens Memorial Scholarship. The award honors late staff member Todd Givens, who served NSAI for 31 years prior to his passing in 2018. Executive Director Bart Herbison chooses each year’s recipient.

“Grayson May is a talented songwriter whose motto: ‘Country music is a way of life,’ speaks volumes,” says Herbison. “The Louisiana native is an accomplished performer and writer who is making inroads into the Nashville and Music Row community. It is our pleasure to award the 2026 Todd Givens Memorial Scholarship to Grayson. He is someone you root for and his work ethic is unmatched.”

Through the scholarship, he will receive year-round, dedicated support from NSAI’s creative and membership teams to help guide and advance his career goals. May will also receive a free NSAI membership.

May will be honored during the annual NSAI Member Awards, presented by Regions Bank, at 3rd & Lindsley Nashville on March 26 as part of Tin Pan South week.

Luke Bryan. Photo: Jim Wright

Luke Bryan has announced he’ll launch his “Word On The Street Tour” on May 29-30 in Gilford, New Hampshire.

Openers for the tour include Drew Baldridge, Karley Scott Collins, Lanie Gardner, Randall King, Zach John King, Shane Profitt, Raelynn, Lauren Watkins, Jake Worthington and DJ Rock. Bryan will visit Myrtle Beach, Albuquerque, Buffalo, Kansas City and many more cities on the tour, which wraps in August.

Presale for fan club members begins Jan. 27-29, with general tickets going on sale Jan. 30 at lukebryan.com. Citi cardmembers will also have access to presale tickets beginning Jan. 27-29 through the Citi Entertainment program.

Bryan recently ranked in the top 20 of Pollstar’s Artists of the Millennium List based on ticket sales (one of only two country artists on the list), having sold more than 20 million concert tickets in his career.

“Word On The Street Tour” Dates:
May 29 — Gilford, NH — BankNH Pavilion
May 30 — Gilford, NH — BankNH Pavilion
June 5 — Myrtle Beach, SC — Carolina Country Music Fest+
June 11 — Fort Worth, TX — Dickies Arena
June 12 — Lubbock, TX — United Supermarkets Arena
June 13 — Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater
June 18 — Wichita, KS — INTRUST Bank Arena
June 19 — Des Moines, IA — Casey’s Center**
June 20 — Winsted, MN — Winstock Country Music Festival+
June 25 — Allentown, PA — PPL Center
June 26 — Buffalo, NY — Taste of Country+
June 27 — Nashville, TN — Alan Jackson: Last Call at Nissan Stadium+
July 9 — Kansas City, MO — Morton Amphitheater*
July 10 — Moline, IL — Vibrant Arena
July 11 — Clarkston, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre*
July 23 — Southaven, MS — BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove
July 24 — Brandon, MS — Brandon Amphitheater
July 25 — Orange Beach, AL — The Wharf Amphitheater
July 30 — Rapid City, SD — Summit Arena at The Monument
July 31 — Billings, MT — First Interstate Arena at MetraPark
August 6 — Bend, OR — Hayden Homes Amphitheater
August 7 — Airway Heights, WA — BECU Live at Northern Quest
August 8 — Auburn, WA — White River Amphitheatre
August 14 — Mountain View, CA — Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 15 — Long Beach, CA — Long Beach Amphitheater
August 22 — Charlotte, NC — Truliant Amphitheater
August 26 — Canandaigua, NY — Constellation Brands–Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
August 27 — Ottawa, ON — Canadian Tire Centre
August 29 — Saratoga Springs, NY — Saratoga Performing Arts Center*
September 10 — Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre*
September 12 — West Palm Beach, FL — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre*
September 26 — East Troy, WI — Alpine Valley Music Theatre

** On sale Feb. 6
* On sale Feb. 13
+ Festival or event show

NEEDTOBREATHE will release their 10th studio album The Long Surrender on March 27 via MCA.

The project was produced by Dave Cobb and recorded at Cobb’s Savannah studio. The 12 track record features 11 solo writes by frontman Bear Rinehart, as well as a co-pen from John Luke Carter. The album features already released tracks “The Long Surrender,” “Where You Call Home” and “Momma Loves Me,” featuring The Red Clay Strays.

“NEEDTOBREATHE feels vital on this album,” shares Cobb. “They came in with open hearts and gratitude, focused on nothing but the truth. You can feel it in Bear’s voice and in the musicianship throughout the record.”

“In the beginning I didn’t even think I was writing for a record—I was just writing in a therapeutic way, trying to get my head around what I wanted my life to look like going forward,” adds Rinehart. “There’s always been a guardedness as far as how personal I get in the songs, or how overtly I express certain things, but this time I was writing everything down as I was going through it. It felt like the songs were coming from a different place, and where we ended up almost feels like a whole new band.

“This album really clarified that, as an artist, I’ve got to put my convictions in front of anything else,” he continues. “I poured myself into it without trying to shape it for anyone or anything, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing from here on out. It’s definitely a better indicator of where we’re headed than where we’ve ever been, and in a lot of ways it feels it’s our very first record.”

NEEDTOBREATHE will kick off the second leg of “The Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour” on Feb. 4 in Mobile, Alabama. The tour will cities such as Tampa, Louisville, Tulsa, and more before wrapping on March 7 in Fort Worth.

The Long Surrender Tracklist:
1. “The Long Surrender” (William Rinehart)
2. “Say It Now” (William Rinehart)
3. “Highlands” (William Rinehart)
4. “Sing To Me Savannah” (William Rinehart)
5. “Where You Call Home” (William Rinehart)
6. “Strangeness Of It All” (William Rinehart, John Luke Carter)
7. “Take Me Dancing” (William Rinehart)
8. “The Door” (William Rinehart)
9. “Growing Slow” (William Rinehart)
10. “Momma Loves Me” (feat. The Red Clay Strays) (William Rinehart)
11. “Take The Blame” (William Rinehart)
12. “Spread The Ashes” (William Rinehart)

Opry Members Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson Perform During Opry Goes Dolly. Photo: Chris Hollo

The Grand Ole Opry celebrated Opry member Dolly Parton and her 80th birthday with its fourth annual “Opry Goes Dolly” show at the Opry House last weekend.

The special show highlighted songs from Parton’s iconic 1980s era and other classics from her catalog. Among those appearing were Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Wills, Sierra Hull, Elizabeth Nichols and Trannie Anderson, who made her Opry debut. The night concluded with Gill and Wilson joining forces on Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” as well as her iconic “I Will Always Love You.”

In honor of the “Opry Goes Dolly” celebration, the Opry is partnering with Julien’s to give fans the chance to own a piece of country music history and support the Opry Trust Fund. The exclusive online-only auction runs through Feb. 2 and features a one-of-a-kind, Dolly Parton-signed microphone stand with signature rhinestones and butterflies throughout, including an autographed plaque. The mic stand was presented to Parton in 2025 as part of the Opry 100 celebration. The stand is accompanied by a framed photo of her on the night of her Grand Ole Opry induction at the Ryman on Jan. 4, 1969 taken by award-winning Opry staff photographer Les Leverett.

The Opry Trust Fund provides financial assistance in times of intense need, emergency, or catastrophe to individuals who are or have been employed full-time in a facet of the country music industry. Since its inception, the Opry Trust Fund has distributed more than $5.7 million. Five dollars from every ticket sold from the “Opry Goes Dolly” show will be donated to Parton’s Imagination Library, the book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.