Thomas Rhett, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lainey Wilson are set to ring in the new year at CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash on Dec. 31, live from Nashville.

The rest of the lineup of star-studded performers and hosts for the five-hour celebration will be announced at a later date.

The annual event features nearly 50 performances from locations across the city, including the main stage in Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. The broadcast will cross multiple time zones, with the traditional countdown at midnight ET, culminating with the renowned Nashville music note drop and fireworks at midnight CT. Past performers include Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert, among others.

“Building on what we have established over the last two years by focusing on our artists, the fans and the vibrancy of downtown Nashville, this year’s lineup is shaping up to be our most exciting yet. We will celebrate 50 years of the iconic southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, the skyrocketing Lainey Wilson and country music superstar Thomas Rhett, with over a dozen artists and special guests still to be announced,” says executive producer Robert Deaton. “Nashville is quickly becoming the destination for New Year’s Eve, and we are honored that CBS wants to help us continue to show off our music and incredible city with a new multi-year deal!”

The live, high-energy performances return to CBS in a multi-year deal for 2023 and 2024. New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, on the CBS Television Network and available to stream on Paramount+, is executive produced by Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. The special will be directed by Sandra Restrepo.

Brad Paisley has released a sample of songs from his upcoming album, Son Of The Mountains, with Son Of The Mountains: The First Four Tracks.

He released the songs in this specific sequencing to help highlight the journey involved in writing the music for the album. Son Of The Mountains: The First Four Tracks includes the previously released tracks “Same Here” featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “So Many Summers,” plus the newly-released title track and “The Medicine Will.” The full album is slated for release in early 2024.

“Son Of The Mountains” and “The Medicine Will,” are inspired by the Appalachian region including Paisley’s home state of West Virginia, and reflect both the beautiful and the painful. Paisley has created and edited videos, directed by Jim Shea, to encapsulate the sentiment of each song. The “Son Of The Mountains” single and video both feature Dan Tyminski and Jerry Douglas and include colorful scenery of the state, while “The Medicine Will” focuses on the opioid epidemic and was shot in the depths of a coal mine featuring real life-stories of addicts, survivors and first responders.

“This album doesn’t shy away from reflecting real life and real situations going on in America and in our world today,” says Paisley about the new project. “This is what I think country music is about, which is truth.”

Singer-songwriter Neil Medley has released his debut album, South End Kid.

The album features 12 tracks, 11 co-written by Medley and songwriters including the late Keith Gattis as well as Tony Lane, Randy Montana, Josh Thompson, Jessie Jo Dillon and others. Medley also included an organic take on the Bruce Springsteen classic, “Dancing In The Dark” on the project, which is his first as an artist after spending the last decade penning songs for acts such as Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Cody Johnson, Josh Abbott Band, Cody Johnson and Brent Cobb.

Medley grew up in Louisville and gravitated towards storytellers like John Prine, Guy Clark and Bob McDill. He began writing songs as a teenager, and after graduating from the University of Kentucky, packed his bags and moved to Nashville to pursue a career a as songwriter. In 2021, Medley landed his first career No.1 with Jake Owen’s “Made For You,” which he co-wrote with Benjy Davis and Joey Hyde.

“For the past 12 years, I have made a living writing songs for other artists,” he shares. “I’ve sat in writing rooms tailoring stories and melodies to fit someone else’s voice and brand, while always keeping one eye on current trends and the other on the past. South End Kid is a project void of all such compromises. It’s a wide-open highway of personal stories, told in my voice exactly how I wanted to tell them. South End Kid is an album that I would want to go out and buy.” 

South End Kid Track Listing:
1. “Two Bar Town” – (Neil Medley, Randy Montana, Dave Kennedy)
2. “Us That I Miss” (feat. Ryan Beaver) – (Neil Medley, Aaron Eshuis, Ryan Beaver, Brinley Addington)
3. “South End Kid” – (Neil Medley, Caroline Watkins)
4. “Hello, Goodbye” – (Neil Medley, Tony Lane, John Pierce)
5. “Just A Simple Man” – (Neil Medley, Steve Moakler, Andrew DeRoberts)
6. “Maliblue” – (Neil Medley, Jessie Jo Dillon, Aaron Eshuis)
7. “Hangovers & Broken Hearts” – (Neil Medley, Randy Montana, Josh Thompson)
8. “It’s Been Real” (feat. Jessie Jo Dillon) – (Neil Medley, Jessie Jo Dillon, Aaron Eshuis)
9. “Dancing In The Dark” – (Bruce Springsteen)
10. “Tucson” – (Neil Medley, Joey Hyde)
11. “Closer All The Time (feat. Keith Gattis)” – (Neil Medley, Keith Gattis) 
12. “Like Him These Days” – (Neil Medley, Neal Carpenter)

Coastal Country Jam 2023

Coastal Country Jam, the beachside music festival, returned to Marina Green Park in Long Beach, California Sept. 16-17 to close out summer with a bang.

Tim McGraw performing at Coastal Country Jam 2023

This year’s event featured headliners Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton, who surprised fans on night one by bringing his wife, award-winning artist Gwen Stefani, on stage to perform No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak.”

The star-studded roster also consisted of Brooks & Dunn, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Tyler Hubbard, Scotty McCreery, MacKenzie Porter, Jameson Rodgers and more.

The fan-favorite tunes performed included Shelton’s “God’s Country,” “God Gave Me You” and “I’ll Name The Dogs”; Lynch’s “Cowboys and Angels,” “Stars Like Confetti” and “Small Town Boy” plus covers of Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time,” Vanessa Carlton’s “Thousand Miles” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”; and Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Neon Moon.”

Additionally, attendees enjoyed an array of other activities, such as mechanical bull riding, cornhole matches and Honky-Tonk dance classes.

Blake Shelton performing at Coastal Country Jam 2023

Maren Morris performing at Coastal Country Jam 2023

Brooks & Dunn performing at Coastal Country Jam 2023

MacKenzie Porter performing at Coastal Country Jam 2023

Pictured (L-R): Lee Greenwood, Major General (Ret.) Max Haston and David Corlew
Photo: Courtesy of Erick Anderson/Eafoto

The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project (TCDJHP) raised over $400,000 for U.S. military veterans at the fifth annual Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards held at the City Winery in Nashville on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

This year’s Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards were presented to country star Lee Greenwood, Hunt Brothers Pizza and Operation Song staffers Bob Regan, John Taylor and Don Goodman. Additionally, the nonprofit’s first-ever Giving Heart Award was presented to Nashville businessman Donnie Mingus. The evening featured live performances by previous Patriot Award recipients Chris Young and Darryl Worley as well as the War Hippies (combat warriors Scooter Brown and Donnie Reis).

Some of the funds that were raised came via a live auction, which included a piece of original artwork painted by the late Daniels. The painting went for $50,000.

“Sold out and what a night,” says David Corlew, Daniels’ Manager and TCDJHP Co-Founder. “We are overwhelmed by the support that we received from all of our guests who attended this year. We raised over $400,000 and couldn’t be any happier. Chris Young, Darryl Worley and the War Hippies were as outstanding as ever, and our attendees couldn’t have been more generous.”

Pictured (L-R): John Taylor, Bob Regan, Don Goodman and David Corlew.
Photo: Courtesy of Erick Anderson/Eafoto

Greenwood was honored for his decades of giving back to the U.S. military. Over the years, he’s made numerous trips overseas to entertain the troops and dedicated much of his time giving back through pro-military initiatives, including the Adopt A Vet campaign. After receiving his award, Greenwood treated the audience to an a cappella performance of his biggest hit, “God Bless The USA.”

Hunt Brothers Pizza received the Patriot Award for its unwavering support to our men and women in uniform. Over the years, the company has donated thousands to TCDJHP.

Regan, Taylor and Goodman were honored for their efforts to help heal through song. Operation Song empowers veterans, active-duty military members and their families to tell their stories through the process of songwriting. The trio originally introduced Daniels and Corlew to the nonprofit’s work, which ultimately led to saving the life of a personal friend of the Country Music Hall of Famer.

Special guest speakers included former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik and decorated military veterans Major General (Ret.) Max Haston, Green Beret Master Sergeant (Ret.) Joel Pruitt (a previous Patriot Award recipient), Special Forces Master Sergeant (Ret.) Steven Nisbet and Sergeant Major (Ret.) Jesse R. Horsley.

Storme Warren of The Big 615 Radio co-hosted the event with Young. This year’s dinner was sponsored by Lipman Brothers, Team Construction, Fiserv and SuperTalk 99.7.

Chris Young performing at the fifth annual Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards. Photo: Courtesy of Erick Anderson/Eafoto

The criteria for the Patriot Award is based on the mission of the organization, which is to support veterans in their return, rehabilitation and reintegration back into civilian life. The award honors a person, persons, or group that fulfills and exemplifies the efforts and dedication of TCDJHP’s purpose to continuously care, support and encourage the people and families who have served our great nation. Previous recipients include Young, Worley, Mike Huckabee, Mark “Oz” Geist, Jude Seale, William Horton, Donnie Mingus, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)’s Daniels Center, the Shepherd Center and more.

Since its inception, TCDJHP has raised over $2.5 million for veterans.