John Anderson. Photo: Alysse Gafkjen
John Anderson, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has passed away. He was 71.
Known for his unmistakable drawl and a sound that blended traditional country with rock, Anderson scored chart-toppers including “Wild and Blue,” “Swingin’” and “Money in the Bank.” His 1991 single “Straight Tequila Night” sparked a major career resurgence, and the following year’s “Seminole Wind” became his signature song, selling three million copies. He earned the CMA’s Single of the Year and Horizon Award in 1983 and the ACM’s Career Achievement Award in 1994, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024.
The news was shared on Anderson’s official social media pages.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and best friend,” the post reads. “To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives. To us, he was so much more. He was the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely, and made every ordinary moment feel special. We are completely heartbroken.”
A cause of death has not been shared.
The below bio was provided by the Country Music Hall of Fame at the time of his induction, in 2024.
Some singers get the knock of being too Country for rock and too rock for Country. That was never the case with John Anderson. At his best, Anderson was too rock and too Country, as likely to sing songs by Van Morrison or Willie Dixon as he was ones by Lefty Frizzell or Marijohn Wilkin.
Born December 13, 1954, John David Anderson grew up in Apopka, FL, named for the large lake just northwest of Orlando. As a youth, he played in local rock groups like the Living End and the Weed Seeds. He soon turned to Country Music and counted Merle Haggard as one of his heroes.
He moved to Nashville shortly after graduating high school in the early 1970s, following his older sister Donna, singing with her in a duo. While in Nashville, he performed gigs for a few dollars a night and worked odd jobs. Of those, the one he held the longest, he told the Orlando Sentinel in 1979, was a construction gig where one of his jobs involved helping roof the Grand Ole Opry House prior to its 1974 opening.
He briefly recorded for a small independent label, which quickly folded, but not before he cut a song called “What Did I Promise Her Last Night.” This got the attention of publisher Al Gallico, who got him a publishing deal and signed to Warner Bros. Records. He then moved to Texas to check out the progressive Country scene but soon returned to Nashville.
Norro Wilson produced his early records for the label. Each of Anderson’s singles tended to do a little better than the previous one, enough so that Warner Bros. stuck with him, finally releasing his first, self-titled album in 1980. He’d put out seven singles, and with their echoes of Haggard, Frizzell, and Hank Williams, modest early hits like 1979’s “Your Lying Blues” and “She Just Started Liking Cheatin’ Songs” preceded fellow traditionalists Ricky Skaggs, George Strait and Randy Travis. In an era of pop overtures and crossovers, Anderson favored shuffles, waltzes, and heartbreak ballads sung with a back-of-the-throat drawl that could sound like he was choking back tears. His first Top 5 hit — a version of Billy Joe Shaver’s “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)” — came nearly four years after his label debut.
In late 1982, as the title track for Anderson’s fourth album, Wild and Blue, co-produced by Anderson and Frank Jones, was on a trajectory to become his first No. 1 single, several radio stations began playing another song from the album, one Anderson had written with Lionel Delmore, the son of the Delmore Brothers’ Alton Delmore. The buzz on the other record became so loud that Warner’s promotion team had to encourage programmers to wait until “Wild and Blue” had run its course. Sure enough, three weeks after “Wild and Blue” hit No. 1, “Swingin’” hit the Country charts. Ten weeks after that, the mildly suggestive number became Anderson’s second chart-topper. The record became so popular that some rock and pop stations began spinning it.
The Country Music Association recognized “Swingin'” as the Single of the Year at the 1983 CMA Awards, where Anderson also was named the Horizon Award winner.
Anderson and Delmore wrote several other songs together, including the 1995 Top 3 single “Bend Until It Breaks.”
Anderson had five Top 5 singles, including three No. 1s, in two years, but subsequent records peaked farther down the charts as the next wave of young performers arrived.
Following brief stints with MCA Records Nashville and Universal Records, Anderson signed with BNA Records, a subsidiary of RCA, in 1991. When “Straight Tequila Night” came out late that year, Anderson had had just one Top 10 single in seven years.
But “Straight Tequila Night” brought Anderson’s career roaring back, making him one of only a handful of acts who’d begun releasing records in the 1970s who continued to have major successes into the 1990s.
Anderson’s 1990s run equaled what he’d done a decade before as he hit with records like the Dire Straits cover “When It Comes to You,” the chart-topping “Money in the Bank,” and the regret-filled “I Wish I Could Have Been There.”
One of those 90s hits, “Seminole Wind,” had a localized, environmentally conscious theme that did not initially strike BNA executives as particularly commercial. Though Anderson did not write it as such, he knew it was capable of commercial success. Written after a visit with his 95-year-old grandmother in Florida, the song referenced the development of the Everglades in Anderson’s native Florida, flood control efforts that decreased its size by half in a century, and the 19th-century Seminole resistance leader Osceola. Though the record peaked at No. 2, 1992’s “Seminole Wind” sold three million copies and became a career-defining record for Anderson.
After BNA, Anderson recorded for Mercury Records, Columbia Nashville, the Warner imprint Raybaw Records, Country Crossing, and Bayou Boys Music. In 2020, he worked with Johnny Cash collaborator David Ferguson and the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach on his 22nd studio album, Years.
In addition to Anderson’s two 1980s CMA Awards, he participated in the 1994 Album of the Year win for Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, on which he covered “Heartache Tonight.” That same year, the Academy of Country Music honored him with its Career Achievement Award.
Truly living out his songs, Anderson has lived the Country lifestyle for more than 45 years. When not on the road, Anderson enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and gardening. Anderson and his wife of more than 40 years, Jamie, share two daughters and their families. “I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to have such a great family life,” Anderson says.
With a discography spanning more than 40 years, Anderson’s career track has had enough peaks and valleys and twists and turns to resemble a rollercoaster. His musical vision hasn’t always aligned with the fashion of the times. But whatever John Anderson decides to sing, as soon as he starts, there’s no mistaking who it is. That voice is timeless, and it has found a forever home in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
CMA Celebrates Dolly Parton; Partners With Belmont, Disney & NCVC For $1 Million Donation To Imagination Library
/by Lorie Hollabaugh“CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton” is now available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA
Last night’s star-studded ABC special, CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, was a sparkling celebration of the light and love that Parton epitomized, filled with musical tributes to the icon the world is still mourning just months after her passing.
The show was packed with moving performances of Parton’s biggest hits, including Ella Langley‘s take on “Jolene,” Kelsea Ballerini performing “Here You Come Again,” Carly Pearce and Kristin Chenoweth on the Parton favorite “9 to 5,” and many more. Heartfelt memories of the superstar were shared on screen from stars like Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, and more, and Reba brought chills to the air with her stirring rendition of “He’s Alive” with the Belmont Singers.
Ashley McBryde offered up a quietly powerful performance of Parton’s signature “Coat of Many Colors,” Zac Brown shared his aptly named inspirational duet “Butterfly” during the tribute singing along with Parton, and Brad Paisley and Sierra Hull teamed for the poignant “When I Get Where I’m Going,” along with many other touching and heartfelt moments throughout the night.
Following last night’s tribute, the Country Music Association in collaboration with Belmont University, The Walt Disney Company and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp has revealed that its previously announced commitment to Dolly’s Imagination Library has resulted in a combined donation of $1 million. The donation honors another defining part of Dolly’s life: her deeply personal commitment to inspiring a love of reading and encouraging children to dream big. Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly launched the Imagination Library in East Tennessee in 1995 with a simple dream: to inspire a love of reading in young children.
Pictured (L-R): Jeff Conyers (President & Vice Chair, The Dollywood Foundation), Brittany Schaffer (Incoming CEO, CMA), Dr. Greg Jones (President, Belmont University) and Sarah Trahern (CEO, CMA) attend “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton” at Belmont University’s Fisher Center on Oct. 21. Photo: Kayla Schoen/CMA
“Dolly has always brought people together, and we built last night’s event with that same intention,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO. “Because of the artists who took that stage and the partners who stood beside us, a night full of her music resulted in a $1 million donation to Imagination Library, so that children for years to come can open a mailbox and find a book with their name on it.”
Adds Brittany Schaffer, CMA Incoming CEO: “Through her music, her philanthropy and her heart, Dolly gave all of us a reason to come together. We are so proud that our community united for a magical evening that carries forward her legacy of love and literacy for generations of children around the world.”
“Dolly knew that a single book could change the course of a child’s life,” says Dr. Greg Jones, President of Belmont University. “As a university, we see every day how a love of learning opens doors and shapes who young people become. It was a joy to celebrate her life on our campus, and we’re grateful to play a part in putting more books into children’s hands.”
“Last night’s celebration was a beautiful reminder of how Dolly spent her life bringing joy to people through her music and encouraging them to believe in their dreams,” says Jeff Conyers, President & Vice Chair, The Dollywood Foundation. “The Imagination Library is rooted in that same spirit, inspiring children to love reading and imagine all the possibilities ahead of them. I couldn’t think of a more meaningful way to celebrate Dolly’s life than by investing in the dreams of future generations. We’re incredibly grateful to CMA, Belmont University, Disney, and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp for making this generous gift possible.”
Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines Make Grand Ole Opry Debut
/by Lorie HollabaughMark Kocourek, Aidan Harbeson, Ben Wood, Franklin Jonas, Tim Bruns, Nick Harrison and Kevin Jonas Sr. Photo: Savannah Lauren
Jonas Group Publishing artist Franklin Jonas recently made his Grand Ole Opry debut with his band the Byzantines, adding another first to a season of milestones in Jonas’ musical journey.
Jonas, who is fresh off wrapping his “First of Many Tour,” marked the occasion with a debut performance of “High and Sad,” his collaboration with Noah Cyrus, and “Break the Levee.”
“It’s hard to put moments like this into words,” says Jonas. “I’m continually reminded that things happen in their own time, and God’s timing is always greater than anything I could have planned for myself. I’m grateful for every step that brought me here and excited for what’s still to come.”
“We are incredibly proud of Franklin and excited to celebrate this unforgettable moment in his musical journey. From wrapping his first tour to stepping onto the Grand Ole Opry stage, it’s exciting to see these milestones unfold,” adds Jonas Group Publishing’s CEO and father of Franklin, Kevin Jonas Sr. “We look forward to celebrating many more with him in the years ahead.”
Position Music Taps Pete Robinson As GM, Creative Nashville [Exclusive]
/by Lauryn SinkPete Robinson
Position Music has tapped Pete Robinson as General Manager, Creative Nashville. Robinson will report to Position Music Founder/CEO Tyler Bacon and President Mark Chipello.
Robinson brings more than three decades of experience across the music industry, including senior executive positions at major record labels and nearly 20 years as a music publisher in Nashville. He was a founding partner of Big Deal Music. During its growth, the company accumulated 17 No. 1 country singles with artists such as Luke Bryan, Old Dominion, Kenny Chesney and more.
In 2022, following Big Deal Music’s 2020 acquisition by Merck Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis Songs, he launched Pete Robinson Consulting where he advised companies within the music industry and adjacent sectors.
Prior to Big Deal Music, Robinson held senior executive roles at several major record labels, including Sr. VP A&R at RCA and then moving to Epic as Sr. VP A&R. He was also the owner/operator of DUMBO STUDIOS in NYC.
“We have a real vision for what we are building in Nashville, and Pete is the right person to help lead us into this next chapter. Country music is at the center of our Nashville plans, but there is also such an incredible depth of songwriting and creative talent that we want to partner with,” says Bacon, Founder & CEO of Position Music. “Pete is well equipped, both creatively and relationally, to work across Nashville’s music community as a whole, which is so important to us. He also has a strong track record of hiring great creative executives and I’m confident he will build a strong team in Nashville to support our songwriters and artists.”
“Pete has an exceptional pedigree as both an A&R executive and a publisher, and his relationships throughout Nashville are second to none,” says Chipello, President of Position Music. “Pete brings exactly the kind of experience, passion and perspective that we need and I’m excited about the creative synergy that he will build together with the rest of our Publishing and Label teams.”
“I’m thrilled to join Tyler, Mark, and the Position Music team at such an exciting time for the company,” adds Robinson. “I’ve spent my career working with talented artists, songwriters, and producers, and I’ve always believed that the best businesses in music are built on great creative relationships and a genuine commitment to the people behind the music. Position Music has built an impressive platform and a culture that puts creators first. I’m looking forward to building on that foundation in Nashville and helping create new opportunities for the incredible talent in this community.”
BREAKING: Country Music Hall Of Famer John Anderson Passes
/by LB CantrellJohn Anderson. Photo: Alysse Gafkjen
John Anderson, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has passed away. He was 71.
Known for his unmistakable drawl and a sound that blended traditional country with rock, Anderson scored chart-toppers including “Wild and Blue,” “Swingin’” and “Money in the Bank.” His 1991 single “Straight Tequila Night” sparked a major career resurgence, and the following year’s “Seminole Wind” became his signature song, selling three million copies. He earned the CMA’s Single of the Year and Horizon Award in 1983 and the ACM’s Career Achievement Award in 1994, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024.
The news was shared on Anderson’s official social media pages.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and best friend,” the post reads. “To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives. To us, he was so much more. He was the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely, and made every ordinary moment feel special. We are completely heartbroken.”
A cause of death has not been shared.
The below bio was provided by the Country Music Hall of Fame at the time of his induction, in 2024.
Some singers get the knock of being too Country for rock and too rock for Country. That was never the case with John Anderson. At his best, Anderson was too rock and too Country, as likely to sing songs by Van Morrison or Willie Dixon as he was ones by Lefty Frizzell or Marijohn Wilkin.
Born December 13, 1954, John David Anderson grew up in Apopka, FL, named for the large lake just northwest of Orlando. As a youth, he played in local rock groups like the Living End and the Weed Seeds. He soon turned to Country Music and counted Merle Haggard as one of his heroes.
He moved to Nashville shortly after graduating high school in the early 1970s, following his older sister Donna, singing with her in a duo. While in Nashville, he performed gigs for a few dollars a night and worked odd jobs. Of those, the one he held the longest, he told the Orlando Sentinel in 1979, was a construction gig where one of his jobs involved helping roof the Grand Ole Opry House prior to its 1974 opening.
He briefly recorded for a small independent label, which quickly folded, but not before he cut a song called “What Did I Promise Her Last Night.” This got the attention of publisher Al Gallico, who got him a publishing deal and signed to Warner Bros. Records. He then moved to Texas to check out the progressive Country scene but soon returned to Nashville.
Norro Wilson produced his early records for the label. Each of Anderson’s singles tended to do a little better than the previous one, enough so that Warner Bros. stuck with him, finally releasing his first, self-titled album in 1980. He’d put out seven singles, and with their echoes of Haggard, Frizzell, and Hank Williams, modest early hits like 1979’s “Your Lying Blues” and “She Just Started Liking Cheatin’ Songs” preceded fellow traditionalists Ricky Skaggs, George Strait and Randy Travis. In an era of pop overtures and crossovers, Anderson favored shuffles, waltzes, and heartbreak ballads sung with a back-of-the-throat drawl that could sound like he was choking back tears. His first Top 5 hit — a version of Billy Joe Shaver’s “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)” — came nearly four years after his label debut.
In late 1982, as the title track for Anderson’s fourth album, Wild and Blue, co-produced by Anderson and Frank Jones, was on a trajectory to become his first No. 1 single, several radio stations began playing another song from the album, one Anderson had written with Lionel Delmore, the son of the Delmore Brothers’ Alton Delmore. The buzz on the other record became so loud that Warner’s promotion team had to encourage programmers to wait until “Wild and Blue” had run its course. Sure enough, three weeks after “Wild and Blue” hit No. 1, “Swingin’” hit the Country charts. Ten weeks after that, the mildly suggestive number became Anderson’s second chart-topper. The record became so popular that some rock and pop stations began spinning it.
The Country Music Association recognized “Swingin'” as the Single of the Year at the 1983 CMA Awards, where Anderson also was named the Horizon Award winner.
Anderson and Delmore wrote several other songs together, including the 1995 Top 3 single “Bend Until It Breaks.”
Anderson had five Top 5 singles, including three No. 1s, in two years, but subsequent records peaked farther down the charts as the next wave of young performers arrived.
Following brief stints with MCA Records Nashville and Universal Records, Anderson signed with BNA Records, a subsidiary of RCA, in 1991. When “Straight Tequila Night” came out late that year, Anderson had had just one Top 10 single in seven years.
But “Straight Tequila Night” brought Anderson’s career roaring back, making him one of only a handful of acts who’d begun releasing records in the 1970s who continued to have major successes into the 1990s.
Anderson’s 1990s run equaled what he’d done a decade before as he hit with records like the Dire Straits cover “When It Comes to You,” the chart-topping “Money in the Bank,” and the regret-filled “I Wish I Could Have Been There.”
One of those 90s hits, “Seminole Wind,” had a localized, environmentally conscious theme that did not initially strike BNA executives as particularly commercial. Though Anderson did not write it as such, he knew it was capable of commercial success. Written after a visit with his 95-year-old grandmother in Florida, the song referenced the development of the Everglades in Anderson’s native Florida, flood control efforts that decreased its size by half in a century, and the 19th-century Seminole resistance leader Osceola. Though the record peaked at No. 2, 1992’s “Seminole Wind” sold three million copies and became a career-defining record for Anderson.
After BNA, Anderson recorded for Mercury Records, Columbia Nashville, the Warner imprint Raybaw Records, Country Crossing, and Bayou Boys Music. In 2020, he worked with Johnny Cash collaborator David Ferguson and the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach on his 22nd studio album, Years.
In addition to Anderson’s two 1980s CMA Awards, he participated in the 1994 Album of the Year win for Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, on which he covered “Heartache Tonight.” That same year, the Academy of Country Music honored him with its Career Achievement Award.
Truly living out his songs, Anderson has lived the Country lifestyle for more than 45 years. When not on the road, Anderson enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and gardening. Anderson and his wife of more than 40 years, Jamie, share two daughters and their families. “I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to have such a great family life,” Anderson says.
With a discography spanning more than 40 years, Anderson’s career track has had enough peaks and valleys and twists and turns to resemble a rollercoaster. His musical vision hasn’t always aligned with the fashion of the times. But whatever John Anderson decides to sing, as soon as he starts, there’s no mistaking who it is. That voice is timeless, and it has found a forever home in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Charlie Peacock To Release Debut Novel In November
/by Lauryn SinkCharlie Peacock will release his debut novel, Once Concealed Now Revealed, on Nov. 17 via It’s Time To Art Press.
The novel follows two generations of the Taylor family shaped by trauma and secrecy, exploring love under pressure, how deeply held beliefs can wound other people, and the cost of success.
“Art has a way of revealing itself to the artist with a mix of intention and mystery,” says Peacock. “Perhaps this novel came to me because silence and avoidance have killed people I love, and because I have seen — in my own body, family, and faith — what happens when the unspeakable gets buried and when it finally speaks. It may hurt like hell. You may think you are dying. But the truth is, most things — especially love — survive.”
The novel arrives on the heels of Peacock’s 2025 memoir, Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music, which earned a starred review from Library Journal and a spot on its Best Books 2025 list for Performing Arts.
Peacock is a Grammy Award–winning music producer, recording artist and author. He was named by Billboard’s Encyclopedia of Record Producers as one of the 500 most important producers in music history, and has worked with Switchfoot, The Civil Wars, Béla Fleck, Chris Cornell, Amy Grant, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and more across his five-decade career.
Wynonna Judd Slates First-Ever Headlining Ryman Shows
/by Lauryn SinkWynonna. Photo: Thomas Crabtree
Wynonna Judd will headline Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for the first time on March 26 and 27, 2027.
The shows celebrate her new album, The Hard Truth, which was released on Oct. 2 via ANTI-Records. During its first week after release, the project garnered over 1.3 million streams and debuted in the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart.
“I’ve spent more than 40 years singing on stages all over the world, but there’s something about The Ryman that still takes my breath away,” Judd says. “We celebrated Mom’s life there, so that stage holds a very special place in my heart. To be headlining my own show on that stage for the first time, after all these years, feels like a full-circle moment. It’s a chance to celebrate every chapter of my story, from the songs that brought me here to the hard truths that have shaped who I am today.”
Judd is currently on “The Hard Truth Tour,” with upcoming dates in Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida and more.
David Macias Readies New Book For January
/by Lauryn SinkDavid Macias will release his new book, Circulation: How Culture Moves in the Age of Algorithm, on Jan. 14 via Whitefox Publishing.
Focusing on the mechanics of the algorithms used today by streaming services, e-commerce platforms and more, the book explores the utility of the algorithms deciding how songs and stories reach an audience and their impact on the development of culture. In addition to its January release, Circulation is being serialized via Macias’ Substack, with Chapter One releasing on Friday.
Macias is the Co-Founder and President of Thirty Tigers and has worked with clients including Lucinda Williams, Smashing Pumpkins, John Prine, Lupe Fiasco, Alanis Morissette and others. He is a Grammy-award winning producer of historical music projects, having won for Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs Of Stephen Foster.
Industry Ink: Ashley McBryde & John Osborne, Randy Rogers, Kimberly Perry, More
/by Lorie HollabaughAshley McBryde + John Osborne Share Some ‘Wild’ Talk
Ashley McBryde and John Osborne dug down to the roots of McBryde’s fifth studio album, Wild, in a new conversation, out now. The two sat down at Osborne’s East Nashville recording studio to chat about how they made the album, and the conversation highlights both personalities and the friendship that made McBryde’s most vulnerable, personal album to date possible. Tonight, McBryde joins a lineup of performers to honor country icon Dolly Parton as part of CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton, live from Nashville on ABC and Disney+.
Randy Rogers Family Foundation Raises $50K For New Braunfels Humane Society
Randy, Chelsea, River, and Rainey Rogers presented a check to Sarah Hammonds, Executive Director of the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area, along with HSNBA volunteers
The Randy Rogers Family Foundation presented a check of $50,000 on Oct. 19 to the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area. Funds were raised during the Randy Rogers Family Foundation’s Second Annual Pickleball Jam, which was held on Oct. 11 in the Park Haus, LLC parking lot near Rogers’ downtown New Braunfels bar, Lost and Found, and included a pickleball tournament followed by a live acoustic concert by Rogers, Jon Wolfe, Josh Grider and Drew Kennedy. HSNBA volunteers also walked adoptable dogs around the venue, whose adoption fees were sponsored by Tito’s Vodka.
Kimberly Perry Spins The Wheel For Dolly On ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’
Kimberly Perry and host Ryan Seacrest on set of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. Photo: Courtesy of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry took a spin on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune hosted by Ryan Seacrest, which aired on Oct. 16 on ABC. Competing alongside fellow contestants Lisa Loeb and Ally Brooke, her appearance on the iconic game show supported her charity of choice, The Dollywood Foundation, which is dedicated to inspiring children through education and literacy. Taking Vanna White’s pre-show advice to always buy a vowel, Kimberly raised $37,000 to further the foundation’s mission.
LP Creative Presents Hosts Bluebird Songwriters Round
Music industry veteran LeAnn Phelan hosted the first LP Creative Presents Songwriters Round at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe on Oct. 15. The evening featured Nell Maynard (Savage Music Publishing), Marla Morris, Lindsey Fish and Rachel Summers, all alumni of Phelan’s LP Creative Therapy workshops for songwriters and artists. Fellow workshop alumnus Grant Vogel (MV2 Entertainment) made a special guest appearance, performing “15 Minutes,” which he co-wrote and was recorded by Luke Combs. The evening celebrated the community of songwriters brought together through Phelan’s LP Creative Therapy workshops.
Waymore’s Outlaws Return To Neon Steeple At Chief’s On Broadway
Waymore’s Outlaws will resume their popular residency celebrating the music of Waylon Jennings at the Neon Steeple in Chief’s On Broadway on Saturday, Nov. 7. The multi-media concert experience features five of Waylon’s studio and touring band members and is presented as a live documentary, with Waylon’s voice introducing songs and band members recalling stories from the road. The spirit of Jennings is kept alive on stage by his bass player Jerry “Jigger” Bridges, longtime backup singer Carter Robertson, keyboard player Barny Robertson, drummer Jeff Hale, and steel guitarist Fred Newell. The group collectively performed on the recordings of mega hits “I Ain’t Living Long Like This,” the Dukes of Hazzard “Good Ol’ Boys” theme, “Luckenbach Texas,” and “Rainy Day Woman,” and countless other hits. Lead vocalist and guitarist Tommy Townsend rounds out their mix of Outlaw music.
Garth Brooks Adds Matinee Shows In Kansas City & Seattle
/by Lorie HollabaughGarth Brooks
Garth Brooks is adding a third show to the Kansas City stop on his “Blame It All On My Roots Tour,” a Nov. 7 matinee, due to popular demand.
The newly-added concert falls between Garth’s previously announced Friday and Saturday night shows at T-Mobile Center. Tickets for the Saturday matinee go on sale this Friday (Oct. 23) at AXS.com/GarthBrooks. The three back-to-back concerts add another chapter to the superstar’s long history of performing in Kansas City, and specifically at the city’s T-Mobile Center – the added show will make 19 shows in 19 years he’s played at the venue since he helped open the building in 2007.
“Getting to play Kansas City twice in one day is like getting to eat two bowls of ice cream!!,” says Brooks about the upcoming dates.
Brooks also recently added a third Seattle show to his two previously-announced performances in the city at Climate Pledge Arena. A Sunday matinee is now confirmed for Sunday, Nov. 15 for Seattle, and tickets to all three shows Nov. 13-15 will go on sale Friday, (Oct. 23).
Zach Top’s ‘Live From Red Rocks: The Concert Film’ To Premiere At Stardust Drive-In & On YouTube
/by Lorie HollabaughZach Top’s “Cold Beer & Country Music Tour” sold-out two-night stint at Red Rocks. Photo: Harrison Taylor
Zach Top is hosting a special live experience from the Stardust Drive-In in Watertown, Tennessee on Nov. 1 for the premiere of his Live From Red Rocks: The Concert Film, marking his first-ever YouTube Live.
Presented by Kimes Ranch, the one-of-a-kind event will debut a concert film captured across Top’s two back-to-back sold-out nights at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on Sept. 28-29, 2025. The Stardust event will feature a unique, intimate performance from Top, followed by the premiere of the film, transforming the classic drive-in into a gathering place for fans to experience the music together. With the special acoustic performance and a cinematic look back at two sold-out nights, Top is giving fans another way to be part of it—whether they’re pulling into Stardust or tuning in from home.
“My first time headlining Red Rocks was such a special experience, and I’m so thankful we decided to film it,” Top shares. “It’s so fun to have my memories from that night immortalized, and I’m so excited to be able to share that career highlight with so many more fans in addition to the ones that attended in person.”
The program is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT, and tickets are available through Seated for $100 per vehicle, plus fees, with each ticket admitting a maximum of four people. Parking is first-come, first-served, and concessions will be available on-site.