Five-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan will launch his 36-city “Country On Tour” this summer.

Kicking off on June 15 in Syracuse, New York, the trek will include special guests Chayce Beckham, Tyler Braden, Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, Jon Langston, Conner Smith, Alana Springsteen, Hailey Whitters and DJ Rock throughout the dates. The tour will criss-cross around the country through the end of October with stops in Philadelphia, Dallas, Albuquerque, Denver, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Orlando and more, including a handful of shows in Canada.

“Artists get into the business to make music and perform it for the fans,” shares Bryan. “Leaving it all out on that stage is what it’s all about for me. I’m excited to support and have so many talented new artists along for the ride this year. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of our job.”

The “Country On Tour” will also include a special show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Aug. 12. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. local time. Pre-sale for Bryan’s fan club will begin tomorrow (Jan. 31) at 8 a.m. local time through Feb. 2. Additionally, Citi cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets from Feb. 1-2.

The summer tour is aptly named after Bryan’s 30th No. 1 single, “Country On,” which hit the top of the country singles charts at the end of 2022 and helped him amass a career tally of 56 total weeks at No. 1.

Jo Dee Messina has announced that Curb Records will release Heads Carolina, Tails California: The Best of Jo Dee Messina on March 10.

The project will feature 11 of her well-loved hits, including “Bye, Bye,” “I’m Alright,” “Lesson In Leavin,’” ”Heads Carolina, Tails California” and more. It will also mark Messina’s first-ever vinyl release on a limited-edition, 180 gram clear vinyl with wisps of color throughout.

“It’s amazing to look back over a catalog and have so many songs with so many memories attached,” says Messina. “Now, to have them come out on vinyl? Wow! It’s a new way to hold those memories. It’s very exciting!”

Messina’s illustrious catalog includes nine chart-toppers and 10 top 40 hits. She has garnered over 700 million on-demand streams and millions of albums sold with multiple RIAA certifications. In part due to Cole Swindell‘s remix of “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” Messina has enjoyed a recent resurgence, paving the way for a big year in 2023.

Heads Carolina, Tails California: The Best of Jo Dee Messina Track List:
1. “Heads Carolina, Tails California” (Tim Nichols, Mark D. Sanders)
2. “Bye-Bye” (Rory Bourke, Phil Vassar)
3. “I’m Alright” (Phil Vassar)
4. “Bring On The Rain” feat. Tim McGraw (Billy Montana, Helen Darling)
5. “My Give A Damn’s Busted” (Joe Diffie, Tom Shapiro, Tony Martin)
6. “You’re Not In Kansas Anymore” (Tim Nichols, Zack Turner)
7. “Lesson In Leavin'” (Randy Goodrum, Brent Maher)
8. “Stand Beside Me” (Stephen Allen Davis)
9. “Because You Love Me” (Kostas, John Scott Sherrill)
10. “That’s The Way” (Annie Roboff, Holly Lamar)
11. “Burn” (Tina Arena, Steve Werfel, Pam Reswick)

Gibson Gives announced its new Training and Empowering Musicians to Prevent Overdose (Tempo) Nashville Live Music Venue Program in alliance with the Metro Nashville Police Department on Thursday (Jan. 26) at the Gibson Garage in downtown Nashville.

The program will offer ONEbox opioid emergency response kits to 72 live music venues in the metro Nashville area. The kits contain two doses of the opioid reversal medication Naloxone, along with personal protective equipment and video instructions that are activated when ONEbox is opened.

Tempo has been training musicians, crew members, music industry professionals and non-profits on how to properly administer Naloxone, and has created easy access to the medication for the public inside music venues and clubs.

Gibson Gives’ Tempo program is a partnership of 12 music-industry related non-profits across the U.S., including MusiCares, The Scars Foundation, The Roadie Clinic, Sandgaard Foundation, Sims Foundation, Harbor Path, Musicians For Overdose Prevention, Life By Music, Passenger Recovery, National Harm Reduction and Solace For Hope, which provide life-saving training for using Naloxone to prevent and/or reverse opioid overdoses and offer a network for recovery from opioid addiction.

“Gibson Gives and Tempo are proud to partner with live music venues across Nashville to provide free access to life-saving Naloxone for music fans in our city,” says Dendy Jarrett, Executive Director, Gibson Gives. “Following our announcement of Hikma’s $1 million dollar donation of Naloxone to the Tempo program in late 2022, the Tennessee Department of Health CDC Foundation Overdose Response Strategy in TN, and the Metro Police Department reached out to help create an impactful opioid overdose awareness campaign for the city of Nashville concentrating on the areas most affected.”

He continues, “We thank them and ONEbox for helping us bring this life-saving program inside our live music venues, so that every music fan can safely enjoy their favorite artists across Music City, Nashville.”

Runaway June will headline the post-race concert at the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series race in Music City on April 22. Additional acts performing at the post-race celebration will be announced in the coming weeks.

Comprised of Stevie Woodward (lead vocals/guitar/harmonica/piano), Natalie Stovall (vocals/fiddle/guitar) and Jennifer Wayne (vocals/guitar, Runaway June has earned nominations from the Academy of Country Music Awards and the CMT Music Awards. They’ve also landed a radio hit with their Gold-certified breakthrough single, “Buy My Own Drinks.”

“The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville is thrilled that Runaway June will perform as the Encore Entertainment,” notes Drew Wolff, Regional Director for Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series. “The race uniquely unites the amazing music community with fitness enthusiasts.”

The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Nashville will take place April 22-23 , combining live music and entertainment with scenic routes that highlight Nashville’s historic and natural beauty. Participants will experience a running tour of Nashville’s most famous locations, including Broadway, Music Row, The Gulch, 12 South, Nissan Stadium and more.

The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Nashville offers 1-mile, 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon lengths, plus a Doggie Dash and KiDS ROCK event. To register, click here.

Brad Paisley Becomes Ambassador For UNITED24 In Support Of Ukraine

Country music superstar Brad Paisley has joined UNITED24 as an ambassador to support the Rebuild Ukraine program.

The initiative was launched by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to collect charitable donations in support of rebuilding and restoring homes damaged by the current war. Paisley was introduced in an online call with President Zelenskyy where he thanked Paisley for his support of Ukrainians.

“I am happy that you decided to join, especially the Rebuild Ukraine program. Many peoples’ lives have been destroyed. Now we need to work with as many famous people as possible, who will draw attention to the restoration of homes for Ukrainians who’ve suffered from the war,” Zelenskyy explained.

“I am not alone in wanting to help Ukraine,” Paisley shared. “But like a lot of people in America, until now I haven’t been sure exactly how to lend a hand from over here in the U.S. I count myself very lucky to have been given a platform that will allow me to do that very thing. As an American, I see how very similar we are, how we share so many common values with these brave people in Ukraine, and I’m focusing my efforts on helping Ukrainian families rebuild and return to their homes.”

In 2022, Paisley supported Ukraine by participating in the Ukraine: Answering the Call charity telethon broadcast in prime-time in the USA.

Clay Walker Takes Country To The High Seas

Show Dog Nashville recording artist Clay Walker brought his traditional sound to the sold-out Country Music Cruise 2023 this week. During the excursion, he performed for country music fans onboard Holland America’s Nieuw Amersterdam ship.

Walker has celebrated four Platinum albums, more than 30 charted singles and 11 No. 1s throughout his career. In August of 2021, he released his debut record with independent label Show Dog Nashville, Texas To Tennessee. Last March, Walker also teamed up with friend and fellow artist Tracy Lawrence for a co-headlining journey that ran through May.

Compass Records Group Adds Robbie Fulks To Artist Roster

Compass Records Group has added alt-country artist Robbie Fulks to its roster. Fulks’ 30-year career has included 15 solo albums and two Grammy nominations.

He became a defining artist of the alt-country scene in the 1990s with releases on independent label Bloodshot Records, Yep Roc and Geffen Records. For the last ten years, he has focused on his writing and performing with homespun tales and acoustic instruments.

Compass Records co-founder Alison Brown shares: “I’ve been a fan of Robbie since I had the chance to play on his 2005 release ‘Georgia Hard.’ He’s one of the most slyly creative, irreverent and damn fun artists out there. No one can write songs like Robbie Fulks does. It’s almost unfair that he can sing and play so well too. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Robbie to the Compass Records family.”

“I’m positively giddy to be with Compass Records. They’ve been such an unflagging champion of the ever-endangered species of bluegrass, Irish and Americana songwriter music. What’s more, the company is run by two badass musicians,” Fulks adds. “Will my semiannual statements be scrawled in Nashville number system on a cocktail napkin? Will Alison and Garry [West] be too busy filling their plates with free food at wedding buffets to promote me vigorously? Will my mean-spirited banjo jokes make me a pariah? I can’t wait to see what happens in these next few years.”

The Red Clay Strays Ink With WME

The Red Clay Strays have signed with WME for global representation in all areas. The agent team representing the group includes Co-Head of WME’s Nashville office Jay Williams, Aaron Tannenbaum, Alex Collignon and Kanan Vitolo.

The Red Clay Strays is made up of Brandon Coleman (lead vocals/guitar), Drew Nix (vocals/electric guitar/harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass) and John Hall (drums). Following with their debut album, Moment of Truth, their single, “Good Godly Woman,” has reached a million streams and they have been tapped as support for 28 spring dates on Elle King‘s “A-Freakin-Men Tour” and four dates on Eric Church’s “The Outsiders Revival Tour.” The band is also on the bill for a variety of festivals this year, including Mile 0 Fest, Moon Crush, Tortuga Music Festival, Hwy 30 Music Fest, Under The Big Sky and Peacemaker Festival.

“We’re thrilled to welcome The Red Clay Strays to the WME family,” shares Williams. “The talent of these guys was undeniable from the first time we were introduced to them, and we can’t wait for the rest of the world to witness it too.”

“We are extremely grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to partner with WME as we take these next steps in our career,” the group shares. “We love the team that’s working with us and can’t wait to get ‘er going. #HBYCO”